Take over
by rinsegaku
Summary: In which I become a god, have an assistant called Jarvis, help Sora win a lost war that has not even happened... yet, and take control over more than one world just because I want to see the kid hang out with people outside of the KH universe. Let the games beguin.
1. Why do I even bother?

From everything Sora thought he would feel, given the current situation, the farthest thing in his mind was finding himself bored.

He had been in this… place, for what felt like an eternity, with nothing but white around him, and had more than enough time to cry, to get angry at himself, at Xehanort, get depressed, mourn for his friends, dwell on self-pity, cry some more, come to terms with what happened, remember all the adventures he had been through, all the friends he had made, wait… train, wait some more, and then wait some more.

So now, he was bored… like, really bored.

"God damn it Jarvis, I told you to pick the right door!"

"No you didn't, you just willed me to existence right here, along with this door, and made that excuse to make it look like you being late was not your fault."

"Hush you!"

A - surprise, surprise! - white door appeared out of nowhere, opening to reveal a guy with a red T-shirt, blue jeans and white sneakers stepping out of it, followed by some sort of… dog? Behind him.

-sigh- "You created me, and yet you hate me… why a dog?"

"I thought you wished to be a dog-anoid being?"

"Is that even a word?"

"Of course! Just like humanoid, but with dog instead of human!"

"I. Am. A. Dog. Period."

"Party pooper."

Sora was left speechless by the sudden randomness, not knowing how to stop the two… beings? Who kept bickering without even noticing him.

"-and that's why Nemesis could totally kick Bill Gates' ass."

"Let's just stop this nonsense and finally address the kid, he's been waiting enough time already, and I was happy with my nonexistence… until you dragged me here for this. Please tell me it will be just a One-Shot."

"Sorry darling, but it most likely will be a multi chapter one."

"Noooooooooooo!"

Ignoring the… dog's(?) Suffering, the human-looking guy finally addressed Sora.

"Yo!"

Sora just stared blankly at him.

"First, sorry for all the crap you had to go through, it was kinda necessary to establish the plot… sorry but lately I've been dry of original ideas."

The brunette raised his hand to signal he wished to speak, but he was totally ignored.

"Second, sorry for being late, but hey! At least you had enough time to sort things out, right? So, we fine?"

"Who the heck are you?"

The guy looked like he had been told Kingdom Hearts 3 had been canceled.

"How could you not know about me?"

"Just ignore him" the dog said with a tired sigh… is it a Poodle or a Chihuahua? "I'm some sort of mix between the two, apparently."

"Wha- How-"

"It would take far too much time to explain all this crap, and I'm not in the mood."

"You're never in the mood!" the still depressed guy- is that a rainy cloud hovering over his head? "Yes, it is!"

Anyway.

"So..." the dog continued, regaining Sora's attention "My name is Jarvis, and that waste of existence likes to be called Segaku."

"You were supposed to know that already!"

"Like I said, just ignore him. It gets easier with time."

Sora just nodded dumbly.

"We are… you could say _gods_ in this place, omnipresent, omniscient and all-powerful… him more than me, sadly, since he created this" the dog- Jarvis, signaled their blank surroundings with a paw.

"W-what happened?" Sora asked confused, not really understanding what was going on, but still curious about what Jarvis just told him.

"To be blunt?" the guy- Segaku, if he wasn't wrong, said appearing out of nowhere next to him, placing an arm around his shoulder.

He seemed to be around 27 years old.

"I'm 22 damn it! Why all the people think I'm older?"

Jarvis' advice of ignoring him, even if the brunet was creeped out, seemed like a good one.

"Anyway, Xehanort fucked you up."

Sora choked on his spit at the bluntness of the explanation.

"What? You know it's true, the old coot managed to forge the x-blade and used it to wipe you out like nothing."

"B-but then how-"

"Like the mutt over there told you- stop licking your balls! There's a kid here!"

"You made me a dog! Now deal with it!" Jarvis shouted back before continuing doing said… activity.

"We are gods here, so I can control everything to my wish. Here, look."

With a wave of his hand Xehanort appeared in front of them, looking really confused.

"What are- you, boy! What kind of trick is-"

"Oh, shut up old timer." Segaku said before snapping his fingers, and after that every time the Dark keyblade master opened his mouth different sounds came out.

A car's horn.

A kitten's meow.

A shotgun.

Tarzan's shout?

At that point both Sora and Segaku were rolling in the floor, holding their sides because of the pain caused by laughing so hard, and Master Xehanort was so red, of embarrassment or anger is unknown, that he looked ready to auto-combust.

"Ah, damn. That was a good laugh… now leave old coot, you served your purpose."

With another wave of the hand the old man was gone.

"Oops, forgot to give his voice back."

* * *

Back on the keyblade graveyard, Master Xehanort reappeared in front of Vanitas, who addressed him immediately.

"Where were you?"

Xehanort opened his mouth to speak, but instead of his voice the sound of a machine gun came out, making him clamp both hands over his mouth.

Vanitas just rose an eyebrow and cracked an amused smirk.

* * *

"Oh well, soon enough he won't need it."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Like I said, Sora buddy, I'm a god here so I've come on your hour of greatest need to help you."

"Help… my friends?" his face lit up like a zeppelin on flames.

"Yup! Bring back each one of them and make Xehanort as harmless as a kitten."

"You can do that?"

"Do I need to bring the old coot again?"

"No, no, but…" now his face darkened, and anger showed its ugly head on Sora's eyes, at the same time he summoned Kingdom key and attacked Segaku "Then why you didn't help us before!"

"Whoa, easy there dude!" the _god_ said sidestepping the slash, and waving his hand, making Sora freeze on his spot "It's not as easy as you think, there are rules too, you know? Some help Jarvis?"

The canine mutation was sleeping on the chair where Sora was waiting for them.

"Ass, anyway. To put this simple, you are one of millions of versions of Sora out there… something like dreaming worlds? There is one, main timeline where all goes as planned, you could say, where you always defeat the bad guys, things go as you want them to, and everyone gets their happy ending. But, for each discarded choice in that _prime world,_ let's call it, an infinite number or alternate routes branch in these alternate worlds. Once those are no longer linked to the _prime world_ people like me can take control over them to do as we please… copyright can be a bitch…"

Sora seemed to have calmed down after hearing the explanation, and looked to be in deep thought.

"So…" he started "This fight, you couldn't change it?"

"Nope, off limits."

"But because I managed to beat Master Xehanort, this version of me, being defeated along with my friends, had to exist?"

"Yeah… in simple words that's what happened. You won't hit me anymore, right? Because it seems that position is uncomfortable."

"Nah, I'm just… confused…"

"Oh, I get why you are so blue." he said releasing Sora "It's not like there's an assembly line making Soras nonstop. That would be foolish, far too expensive, and alchemists would not cooperate willingly; something about the balance and chance of creating hideous chimeras, meh. Like I said, you are one _version_ of Sora, not _another_ Sora. You will never meet another Sora, because it doesn't exist, all those are just what ifs, not the real deal. Was the fight against Xehanort fake?"

"No…"

"See? I just took the worst possible outcome of that fight and took control over it. You are the very same Sora who fought against him, and this is _your_ main timeline. It's just a bonus you got to meet the one in charge, and that I'm willing to help."

"So, I'm not another what if?"

" _Your_ what ifs are, one, if you just plain won; and two, if you just plain lose. Right now _your_ timeline is about me rescuing you and your friends and giving you a new adventure."

Sora still looked dubious, so Segaku did one more thing.

"Here, let me- done!"

"What you just did?"

"Only a little tweak on your head so you won't worry anymore."

"Worry about what?"

"Exactly!"

Sora just shrugged and decided to ignore the odd comment.

"So, you want me to help?"

"Yeah! I can't wait to see Donald, Goofy, Riku, Kairi, The King and everyone else again!"

"Yeah… about that…"

"What? You… you can't bring them back?"

"Of course I can! The problem is not them, it's you."

"Me?"

"Yeah, you see… I'll agree to bring them back, only if you promise you will act like you no longer know any of them."

"W- why!?"

"Like I said, there's a new adventure you'll do for me, but only _you_ can do it, and after all that has happened they won't let you leave alone… especially with what I plan on doing…"

"I know they can-"

"They won't, I know it."

That shut Sora up, and made him ponder for just some seconds.

"They will be safe?"

"Totally, and this won't be permanent, I swear. Once you are done with what I have planned, you will be free to return to your friends… if you wish to."

"Why I would not want to?"

"Just ignore that. So, you in?"

"... Fine, just to save my friends."

"I promise you, you'll make new great friends, and some of them will even join you, so you won't be alone."

Light started to shine around Sora, making him float.

"Hey Segaku, thanks for this chance."

"Don't thank me yet kiddo, you might be cursing me before this is over."

Sora just laughed before he finally disappeared.

"It would have been easier if you just erased his memories, instead of making him fake the amnesia." Jarvis said sitting in the chair, now looking like a man around 30 years old, wearing a tuxedo.

"Nah, it's always more entertaining when you force the main character to do something he doesn't want to, besides, once Sora escapes they will go after him and the chase will be half of the fun!"

"Hmmm… from that perspective I guess it does makes sense."

"This looks like it'll be a fun ride."

"It seems so" Jarvis said now standing "Let's just hope you don't go on hiatus this time." and with that he vanished.

"I am not in hiatus! I'm just way too busy!" And Segaku was gone too.

* * *

 **(a/n): That was... interesting, hope you liked the randomness and it made you smile, tell me if I should keep it up, and have a happy new year! I'll try to work on the other stuff now that I'm out of classes (at last!) so... see ya' :D**


	2. He deserved it

The battleground had been scarred by battle, with bodies littering the vast space where the fight had raged on.

Two figures were still standing, a boy around 16 years old and a bald elderly man, both severely injured, both panting heavily, but the older of the two grinning victoriously, leaning for support on a massive blade, which shined menacingly under the light of the blue heart-shaped moon over them.

The x-blade had been forged, and Kingdom Hearts had been awakened from its slumber.

"Look around you, boy" the old man spat "all your efforts have been for naught! I stand victorious this day, when the tyranny of light ends, and darkness consumes everything to give birth to a new, united and perfect world!"

Sora would have answered, but when he opened his mouth only blood came out, so he just closed it again and snarled at him.

With some effort Xehanort rose from the ground, and with a grunt started limping towards the downed boy, his intent clear.

And the image froze, its colors fading to a scale of grey.

* * *

"Wha- hey! That's the moment when Master Xehanort defeated me!" a totally healed Sora said, stepping in front of the image from a side.

"To be fair, the old coot defeated you the moment he forged the X-blade. At that moment he was just wrapping things up."

Sora pouted, but said nothing.

"What is going on, anyway?"

"This" said Segaku "Is me helping you. Right now, when the scene start playing again, you will be back there, but this time your throat will be healed, so when he asks you _'what are your last words?',_ instead of you spitting blood to his face-" Sora snickered "-you will tell him, as dramatically as you can, _'In the light, we are one',_ that will be my cue to do something epic."

"Why so much trouble? Wouldn't it be easier if you just fixed things?"

"This is all for plot development! Besides, you are like the greatest soldier of light this group can offer, it was about time someone gave you some neat paladin-like time."

"Uhhh…"

"Just roll with it, I'm sure you'll like it. And once this is over, remember our deal."

"Yeah…" Sora said dejected "Deny knowing them."

"Hey, I'll make it worth your while, besides you'll have tons of fun!" Segaku said ruffling the chocolate locks of Sora's hair "I promise."

The boy just nodded, a small smile appearing on his face.

"Now shoo, go play hero. I'll be in contact."

"How?"

"You'll know." and with a wink, the scene behind them resumed, at the same time that they disappeared.

* * *

Sora was beaten, and couldn't do anything to stop Xehanort from approaching, so even if it took him some time, the old man finally reached the teenager and smiled maliciously at him, at the same time he rose the x-blade.

"Any last words, boy?"

Not the same that Segaku said, but the idea was clear, so he breathed deeply and gave him a pained smile, his voice filled with sorrow for his fallen friends, but also with hope for the _god's_ promise.

"In the light, we are one."

Like a switch, the sky cleared completely, and pillars of light fell upon every soldier that opposed Xehanort, Sora included, guardian angels on top of them breathing life again in those who were already gone, and healing every injury in the rest.

Now healed, everyone looked in awe how Sora was lifted from the ground as he was also healed, and placed in front of a gobsmacked Master Xehanort. With wings of light sprouting from his back.

' _Now repeat what I'll tell you'_ Sora heard a voice say on his head, and didn't took him long to recognize him as Segaku, so he mentally nodded as he summoned his keyblade, and Oathkeeper appeared on his hand.

"You claim to love the darkness, then go and dwell on it for eternity!"

With that he shouted a battle cry and charged at Xehanort, who only managed to rise the x-blade to block him.

And light blinded everyone.

* * *

"That was EPIC!"

"I KNOW, RIGHT!"

Both _god_ and keyblade wielder were once again in front of a grey, stopped scene, and both had matching giddy smiles on their faces.

"Told you paladins were cool."

"Sooo, I can to that now?"

"Nope, unless you train under a paladin, and after the debacle with Arthas maybe those guys will be a bit reluctant about accepting a total stranger."

"Awwww… oh well, now what?"

"This." and with a snap of his fingers, Sora was 13 again, dressed with a smaller version of his current outfit to fit him.

"Hey! Why I'm a kid again!"

"First, this way the amnesia can be easier to fake… maybe?"

Sora gave him an unimpressed look.

"Ok, ok. The new worlds I'll send you to have certain kids, around your current age, that I plan on bringing together, and I thought that they would accept the invitation of someone closer to their age to leave their home world for a while… there will even be some time travel! Everyone loves time travel!"

Sora just sighed but nodded, the idea of meeting new people, and having some of them tag along with him on his adventures, was indeed quite appealing.

"Fine… can I leave now?"

"Yup, you have been unconscious for about… lemme see… 3 days, and they have taken you to hollow- oh, sorry, Radiant Garden. You will take one of the gummi ships when I tell you, and only then your new adventure can start."

"But hey, I-"

And the scene kept playing once again, before Sora could say anything -against- the plan.

* * *

When Sora woke up, the first thing he noticed was-

"White, again?"

The room was completely white, yes, from floor to ceiling, including the door, the window frame, the bed, sheets, pillow… well, everything! But from the window he could see the main fountain of the now mostly restored fountain court.

"Man, did Leon and the gang did a great job restoring the place."

True, Radiant Garden was not quite yet restored to its former glory - Merlin, Aqua, Terra, Ventus, and the rest of the restoration committee words - but they were getting close.

Before departing to the final fight, Aerith had happily said that the first bed of flowers would be blooming in a couple of months! Cloud had made a comment about her selling them in a basket, and that had made her giggle.

"Are you implying something, Mr. SOLDIER? Mom is still not comfortable with you around."

Tifa had laugh hearing that, and then hugged her tightly, saying she was glad she was there with them, and even if Cloud left without a word, he saw a small smile on his face, and a tear rolling down his cheek.

His reminiscence was cut short when he heard the door open, turning from the window to see an, even if sleep deprived, shocked at first - then delighted - Riku.

He was about to say something, but his best friend just ran back from where he came shouting about something he couldn't quite make.

Surely about him waking up.

It seemed like a good idea to stretch the legs, after all Segaku told him he had been unconscious for three days, so yeah…

" _Hey"_ a voice he was familiar with at this point whispered in his head _"I've got an idea to help with the amnesia act."_

"Man, you sure are stubborn with that."

" _I've gotta look out for my investments"_ he heard in response _"knowing you, it may slip from your mouth if not under constant reminder."_

"Yeah, yeah, whatever" Sora answered a bit annoyed "I can hear them coming, so tell me your plan."

* * *

It was not his style, Riku never got so emotional about things. Passionate? Yeah, but never emotional. And yet, as soon as he saw his best friend - his somehow now 13 year old friend - wide awake on his bed, he speed down the hall, shouting as loud as his lungs allowed - totally forgetting he was in a hospital - that Sora was finally up.

But, could you really blame him? He had been dying (getting pierced by Ansem's dark guardian through the chest helped a great deal) when Sora was about to be struck down by master Xehanort.

At least he took out the heartless side of the possessed Terra… the very same Terra who was somehow fighting by their side, even when the heartless and nobody halves of his possessed body were there fighting against them… yeah…

He will never understand how all that time-travel thing works.

Anyway. He had, at least, gone down taking with him the incarnation of his inner darkness, who had such a like for the theatrics - the pose he made when he was struck down was worthy of a price, even he had to admit that - but it seemed they had ultimately lost.

Until Sora become a badass.

He single handedly resurrected all the dead people, healed the injured, and defeated the old master. Alone. In the most epic way he had ever expected - the wings on his back were just the cherry of the cake - but seemingly at the cost of his own age.

And yet, something was telling him that was not all he lost in the trade, for their sake.

For three days he had guarded his bedroom, barely sleeping or eating, refusing to leave the kid's bed - and now he could really call him a kid! Oh, all the teasing he could get out of that - just so he could now act like a real friend and thank him for all he did… he is the older of their trio, always the more serious and mature of them, but inside his head he was all but that.

He wished to be as carefree as Sora, and just laugh off his problems - when he saw Sora hang out with other people he turned to the dark side, but after Sora was almost turned into a vessel of darkness the boy just decided to throw a tea party! With fake moustache glasses! - and yet he always kept this serious, cool persona up.

Now that the fighting was over and they could finally return to their homeworld, maybe he could let out more of that childish side of him out.

The savior of the worlds is - now literally - 13 years old. His 17 year old best friend can get away with it, right?

Back in the hospital, and out of Riku's mind, it took less than a minute to gather a small group of people and head back to Sora's room, everyone amused at the not-so-Riku-like antics he had displayed, and yet he could not care less.

There was just the restoration committee along with Kairi, Namine and Roxas there.

Mickey, Donald, Goofy and Pluto went back to Disney Castle the previous day. Lea and Xion were back at Twilight Town along with some of the once members of Organization XIII, now somebodies once more. Aqua, Terra and Ventus were back at the now unsealed Castle Oblivion, working on rebuilding their homeworld, and each of them ready to take apprentices now, like the masters they were appointed as by Master Yen Sid… _would I ever take an apprentice?_ Riku thought as he opened the door to Sora's room.

And saw said kid trying to escape by the window with the help of his sheets.

For a couple of seconds the group that had entered the room had a staring match with Sora, but then the boy tried to jump from the window, Leon managing to react in time and grab him by the back of his jacket, managing, with some struggle, to get the now shouting and kicking boy back inside the room.

"Lemme go! No kidnapper will keep me trapped here, so just lemme go!"

"Woah, easy there Sora! What's going on?"

Said kid just doubled his efforts to get free.

"It doesn't matter if you know my name! Just lemme go stupid… scar-face!"

A lucky kick hit him in the stomach, making Leon release the boy, who took the chance to try and escape through the stunned people in the room, running towards the door, but Riku managed to grab him by the arms - wow, he's so short now.

"Sora! Calm down!"

The boy looked at him with wide terrified eyes, and then in a small, scared voice he asked

"W- who are you?"

That question took Riku, and everyone else, by surprise, so the teenager wasn't prepared when a kick connected with his shin, and with a surprised yelp he released Sora, who didn't doubt to make a mad dash towards the door and out of it.

Not before blowing a raspberry at them.

The next second the whole restoration committee was running down after Sora, leaving Riku, Kairi, Roxas and Namine behind.

"What… just happened?"

Namine walked towards the bed, and gasped when he saw something on the floor, Roxas right behind her.

"What is- ohhhh… guys?"

There, next to the bed, as if carelessly tossed, was Kairi's lucky charm, the promise that Sora would return back to them if they ever got separated again.

Riku and Roxas were out, joining the chase for Sora, as soon as they saw the charm on the floor, worry clear on their faces, and Namine followed them, just sparing Kairi one last glance from the door before also running down the hallway.

Said girl just lifted her lucky charm from the floor and hugged it to her chest, taking a seat on Sora's bed, and with a pained sigh she looked out at the window, hearing a familiar childish, taunting laugh while many other voices called for the keyblade wielder who saved them all.

"What you had to give away" Kairi asked "just to save us this time?"

* * *

 **(a/n): Aaand that's chapter two... what do you think? Entertaining? Not? Lemme know with your reviews. Till next time.**


	3. Weird upgrade

Sitting on his perch atop one of the old irrigation pipes, Sora watched with amusement how his friends were searching for him through the town.

Thankfully his current position was high enough that they wouldn't notice him easily.

He had thought quite a lot about the idea, wondering why he didn't felt bad at lying so blatantly to the face of people who cared so much about him, even wondering if the darkness had gotten a hold of his heart - immediately discarding the idea - and came to the conclusion that he was just in the need of vacations.

Now, don't get the wrong idea. He is not, in the slightest, fed up with them… he would still give anything away if it meant their safety - his current physical appearance is enough proof - but now they _were safe!_

Segaku had more than proved him he was capable of upholding his side of the deal - all the light show back at the keyblade graveyard worked as the perfect demonstration - and he now had to keep _his own_ part of the deal, which - to be honest - now didn't sound like much of a bad idea anymore. These last years have been… _hectic_ for him, to say the least, and forced him to be glued to someone _all the time_ … it got old fast, and he was no longer the kid who enjoyed to be jumping from world to world with his friends anymore.

It was hard to keep the optimistic act all the time, it was _heavy_ after all he was forced to endure, and sometimes he wished he would just be _left alone!_ But he also understood why he was chaperoned all the time - master Xehanort had put his sights on him once, and almost succeeded, so what could assure him it wouldn't happen again? - so he beared with it, smile on his face.

It didn't meant he liked it, still.

So now, with the chance of finally enjoying himself more, free from the worry of _when will master Xehanort strike_ , and able to meet new worlds, friends and potential companions he was sure the guys down in the city could manage without him for a while.

He remained there for some more time, seeing Cloud start talking with random people in the streets, surely asking if they had saw him, when he thought he heard _something_ in the distance… was it music?

Curious, he jumped from the pipe and glided towards the origin of the sound, someone shouting from the street before he heard his name being called… great, now they had spotted him. At least he would have some time before they reached him, since they had to navigate the streets while he could just glide in a straight li- nope, Yuffie took to the rooftops.

And tripped.

' _Convenient, and funny'_ he thought with a smirk as the ninja landed on her feet and he focused on the origin of what now he was sure was music… _odd music_.

 _I live my life like there's no tomorrow_

 _And all I've got, I had to steal_

 _Least I don't need to beg or borrow_

 _Yes I'm livin at a place that kills_

 _Runnin' with the devil…_

"Maybe you are not used to this genre, but from where I come from this song is a classic… You've got to love Van Halen."

Even before he landed, the voice he had come to know quite well - despite their short interactions - said in a conversational tone, making Sora turn and see-

"Why are you on an organization cloak?"

"This? Nah, the organization guys were just copycats… bad ones at that. This is the cloak of the master of masters."

"Who?"

"The guy who wrote this" he said taking out a book of-

"The book of prophecies!"

"Yup! Well, it was until Xehanort became a goner, now it will just help me keep tabs on you."

"Wha-"

"Here, catch. This will be your keyblade from now on."

Sora caught whatever Segaku tossed him and saw that it was…

"Master Xehanort's keychain! Why are you giving me a dark keyblade!?"

"Oh, shush you. That baby is not a dark keyblade, it's not her fault the last guy who wielded it became an ass. That was the keyblade of the Master of Masters, reason of my current cosplay, passed down from student to student, ever since Luxu down to Xehanort. One of the first keyblades to be forged - if not the first one."

All the while the music kept playing in the background, and Sora had to admit that it had quite an appeal to it.

"You want me to use this keyblade… because you will check me with the book of prophecies?"

"You see… the master of masters was kind of a cheater. See that blue eye on the keychain?"

"Yeah."

"Well, that's his eye."

Sora released the Keychain like it was on fire.

"What! H-his eye! How?"

"Don't ask me, I just know that's his eye, and with it he - somehow - managed to see the future through the keyblade. Now the last prophecy is fulfilled, I think, because the book is full, but the eye is still linked to it- it's easier if you see it. Go on, summon the keyblade."

Now, Sora trusted Segaku, but he was still adamant of the idea of wielding a keyblade he had associated so much time with darkness.

"Oh, come on! It won't possess you, I swear."

With a sigh, the boy picked the keychain and summoned Kingdom Key, replacing its usual keychain with the new one making a dark and stormy cloud surround it immediately, changing it to the huge, dark keyblade he had battled against three days ago.

But somehow it seemed…

"See? It is now a bit clearer, not as dark as it was with the old coot. Told you it was not a dark keyblade… think of this as a keyblade upgrade."

"Ok… this is weird, but not as bad as I thought."

"You'll get used to it, now look" Segaku said opening the book of prophecies on a blank page, and Sora saw that-

 _And so the keyblade chosen one discovered that his new keyblade would not hinder, but rather help him on this new adventure he would start, on new and exciting worlds beyond the borders he never dared to cross._

The boy was left speechless.

"I made Jarvis link the keyblade to this book, so whatever the eye saw would appear here… the bastard had to make it write like a novel, just to spite me, but oh well."

"H-how… Why…"

"How? I have not the slightest idea, ask Jarvis about that. I just know he was bitching the whole time about how a keyblade was not a keychain, and that eyes don't write. Why? Well, I have a life too, you know? Work and all that stuff, so I can't be with you all the time. This will help us both, me in keeping tabs over you, and you with a brand new, stronger and way cooler keyblade."

"What's its name?"

"You name her, I never knew if the old coot named it, but originally it had no name."

"Hmmm… what about… the peeper?"

"It's your keyblade now, if you wish to say that name to everyone who asks, it's up to you."

Sora just blushed slightly and shook his head.

"Then what about… Future's Shadow?"

"Cool."

Both remained in silence for a while, Sora admiring his new keyblade - a bit surprised he was taking all this in so easily - and Shinzo just listening the music still playing in the background.

It had jumped quite a few times, right now with the Rolling Stones…

 _I look inside myself and see my heart is black_

 _I see my red door and must have it painted black_

 _Maybe then I'll fade away and not have to face the facts_

 _It's not easy facing up when your whole world is black._

Painting it Black.

"What genre is that?"

"Rock, classic one you could tell… Rolling Stones, again, maybe alien to you but quite famous where I come from."

"Sounds cool."

"I know… I was planning on giving you this later, but oh well, I already gave you a new keyblade, so why not?"

And Segaku introduced Sora to the world of portable music with an Mp3 and earplugs.

"You know how to use this?"

"Yeah… Neku had one like this, so I guess it's the same, right?"

"Yup! Now I'll take my leave because-"

" _SORA!"_

That was Leon.

"-the babysitter troop is about to arrive. Once you're done with them activate Future's Shadow glider form, she will know where to take you."

"But I don't know how to use it!"

" _There he is! Sora!"_

And that was Riku.

"Just throw it to the sky, it will do the rest. And don't worry about the keyblade armor, you'll go through a special path so you won't need it… for now."

"Segaku! Wait!" But the _god_ was already gone, leaving him alone with a group of gaping friends, so with a sigh he turned with his best upset face, already thinking about what to tell them, when he noticed a little detail he missed.

Future's Shadow was still on his hand, and everyone was staring at it, mouths agape and eyes disbelieving.

…

Well, crap.

* * *

 **(A/N): I'm back! It took quite some time to upload this, but oh well. Hope you like it, because most likely the next chapter we start the world-traveling part. Like always the aim is to entertain.**

 **If you come from "Wanderer" ignore this part, since most likely you already read this there. If not, then go ahead.**

 **Well, here's a little bonus. It's an idea I've been twirling in my mind for a long time, and I have read the novels, researched the lore and all that stuff, so I'm certain I can pull it nicely, but I would like to know what you think... See ya!**

* * *

The blond found himself staring dumbly at the sword on his hand, not really paying attention to where his feet were taking him inside the great city, the words of the king still fresh in his mind.

" _Yeh have done a great favor, not only for the city an' its people, but fer me too… I can' even star' tae repay yeh, but I hope this can show how grateful I am. See it as a gift, not from a king, but from a friend."_

So lost in his thoughts, he found himself in front of a training dummy after a while and decided to give it a try, the demonstration the king gave him still fresh on his mind and him curious if he could, at least, imitate one of the katas.

After half an hour, and the sword flying from his hands one too many times, he decided he couldn't.

"Yeh have drive, I'll give yeh that lad" a gruff voice said approaching, with his brand new sword on hand, and the blond blushed in embarrassment, making the owner of said voice chuckle, before giving the weapon back.

"Yeh're a young, wee lad, strong on yer own right and capable o' givin' a war veteran a run fer his money… but nae blademaster was forged in a day or two. Like the sword, the owner o' the blade have tae remove himself from impurities, and temper himself with patience an' dedication until body and mind are strong and sharp, just like the edge and blade of the sword."

For a moment both locked eyes, and the boy saw the older one get lost in thought, his visage softening, and clouding with tears, but then he shook his head and turned around - after helping him get back on his feet and handing back the sword.

"Yeh have potential, but lack discipline. Ask my brother tae find yeh a teacher. Yeh have potential."

And with that he left.

* * *

"Yeh could teach the lad" a voice said from around a corner.

"Nae, I wouldn't make him any good…"

"Yer being too harsh with yerself, what happened with-"

"What happened with _him_ was my fault too!"

The area fell silent after the outburst.

"I met the lad too, and he was a fine one. Kind an' patient like his father, but brave an' direct like yeh."

" _He_ was nottin' like me. If he was then-"

"Arthas took a lot after yeh… but the lad was young an' impulsive. Yeh were his teacher an' friend, but not his father."

"I'm not friend, nor teacher, o' the monster sittin' on top o' Icecrown Citadel"

"Yet yeh were… I know the lad reminds you too much o' him, I know he's just like the prince when he was a boy, and that hurts yeh, just like it hurts Lady Jaina, an' King Varian, but they try tae put the past behind. Arthas died the day he took that cursed blade and left yeh to die, an' yeh can't change that, but there's a fine lad, who needs guides an' friends from what Brann told me, an' yeh have tae face yer ghosts… think about it Muradin."

Silence fell once again between the brothers, but this time it was lighter, until a long exhalation made King Magni smile.

"He better be up before the sun rises tomorrow, or he'll have tae look fer another teacher" and with a grunt the dwarf made his way through Ironforge, back to his quarters.

"Yeh may not know it yet Naruto, but yer presence here seems tae be more than just an' accident."


	4. Admit you saw this comming

Segaku sat next to Sora and, patiently, listened to his explanation; nodding here and there to show that he was – indeed – paying attention, refraining himself from asking questions or interrupting so the boy could relax and release some of the tension that kept him almost as stiff as a corpse, and overall acting like a civilized being for once in his life.

Once Sora was done, Segaku making sure it was so, the _god_ nodded, stood up, stared at his protégée for some seconds…

And promptly started laughing. Long, loud and hard. So hard, actually, that he bent down and almost ended on his knees, clutching his sides.

Sora followed suit a couple of seconds later.

"When I read what appeared on the book" Segaku said panting, still not over his laughing fit "I wasn't sure if Jarvis did that just to spite me, or because of his own sick sense of humor… oh man, only then I realized the bastard meant _that!_ "

"Meant what?"

"When he gave me the keychain, he said there was a certain _bonus_ for when it was first used…"

"Oh…"

Both key bearer and _god_ stared at each other for a moment, before starting to laugh again.

* * *

The book of prophecies was open next to both, and if one was to read what was written on the current open page, it would read:

"… _and when the champion was challenged by his - for the moment - former friends, seeing no other option, he rose the ancient Keyblade against them ready to do whatever was needed so they wouldn't stand between him and his mission._

 _Besides harming them, of course._

' _This is not you, Sora!' the silver haired teenager shouted to his once best friend 'I knew there was something else at play here! The darkness is making you do this!'_

 _And he charged against him, Way to Dawn gripped hard on his hand and a tear rolling down his eye, but Sora just rolled his eyes, mumbled something about him being too dramatic, and effortlessly parried the attack, wondering why the other people were not attacking him._

 _For a moment he was surprised by how nonchalant he was showing towards his best friend's grief, but immediately deduced that it was because he was not their enemy, because no real damage would come to them, and because there was actually no enemy now._

 _A second later he was surrounded by every other member of the group chasing him, weapons drawn and faces grim, but eyes resolute to stop him._

 _With a sigh he pushed Riku back and spoke on an annoyed voice, actually a little bothered by all the unwanted attention he suddenly gained._

' _You guys really don't get a hint, do you?' and proceeded to cast an aero spell to push Leon and Cloud out of the way, since they were the most sturdy of the group._

 _Much to his surprise, something entirely different happened._

 _Clouds gathered, and darkness fell upon Radiant Garden. The day suddenly turned into night, giving an eerie feeling of dread - and Deja-vú - to the people gathered around the boy, and to the boy himself._

 _Fears were proven right when a single spot on the sky opened, the clouds giving way to blue light emanating from a heart-shaped moon, shining directly upon Sora._

' _Sora, please stop this!' the frantic voice of a terrified Kairi startled the chosen boy, actually managing to scare him… he wasn't even sure how he did it!_

' _I- I don't' he stammered 'Sorry!'_

 _Anything else he would have liked to say was cut short, because the light shining upon him increased its intensity, strangely not harming him, but forcing the others to cover their eyes and take a step backwards._

 _He was about to reach for them, but a voice whispered 'Fly, you fool' to his ear. Without any other idea on how to stop whatever was happening, he threw the Keyblade to the air, transforming it into a complex form of a hovering board and jumped on it without a second thought, only sparing a final glance towards Kairi as he sped into the sky._

 _His last sight was of her seashell lucky charm tightly gripped on the hand covering her face._

 _Sora just turned his head away before doubts started plaguing his mind, reminding himself that all was for their sake, and with a heavy heart let the Keyblade glider take him away._

 _When the light cleared daylight had returned to Radiant Garden, but no trace of the 13 year old boy could be found anywhere."_

* * *

"Sorry you had to go through that entire ordeal with your friends. I had no idea Jarvis had developed a sense of humor similar to mine."

"Don't worry… it was scary back then, true, and it made me feel guilty that they were so scared. But it never harmed them, right?"

"Nope, the book doesn't say anything about it."

"Then it's fine, even funny… to reach the length of making Kingdom Hearts appear, just as a _bonus?_ Once I'm back and I tell them what really happened, I'm sure we'll all look back and laugh."

"Are you sure?" Segaku asked, a bit scared that Sora actually blamed him.

"Yeah, don't worry. As long as my friends are safe then there's no problem with me… but it would be nice to have a heads up next time."

The smile Sora gave Segaku was enough assurance.

"Sooo…" The boy asked, finally paying attention to their surroundings "Where are we, and why do my feet feel- Hey! my sneakers!"

Finally being relieved from the fear that he did something that was not supposed to be done, Sora realized that, while his outfit was mostly untouched - besides being slightly tighter - what actually changed were his oversized sneakers, that now were replaced by strange-looking black sandals.

"Those are Shinobi sandals" Segaku explained "fit for comfortable traveling through this kinds of terrain, and easy conductors of Chakra that allow the user to expel it from the soles of his feet without problems. Your usual sneakers would get you killed here."

"Wha- killed? Chakra?"

"This is another world - duh! - but unlike your usual ones, the conflicts that develop here tend to be more… _serious_ , would be a word to say it, I guess. Welcome to the Elemental Nations, Sora."

"O...k… and what is that Chakra thing you just mentioned?"

"Hmmm… think about your magic, ok?" Sora nodded "Well, chakra is a more potent energy that combines… magic and body, you could say, to perform feats even stronger, deadlier and flashier than your usual spells."

"Yeah? Can I do that?"

"Nope, Chakra is native to this world and its inhabitants. Besides that it is a bitch to master. Anyway, we're here to start our recruitment, so get up and move your ass."

"Where are we going?"

" _You_ wish to head in…"

A huge explosion rocked the ground, apparently not too far from their current position, big enough to topple the treetops, that were tall enough by themselves.

"... that direction." Segaku finished, pointing in the direction of the explosion with a deadpan expression.

"Are you crazy!?"

"Don't be such a wuzz, their fight is over already. You wish to get a blond boy around your current age, dressed in orange and with a hole on his chest. Heal him and get him here."

"A hole-"

"Hurry up, the more time you waste your time, higher chance that you will have to, most likely, face the boy's teacher. Now _that_ is a fight I would not wish you to have yet, and I don't want to show that I've already taken over this timeline. To have a shinobi alliance on my ass is not in my plans."

"Fine… I just heal him and get him here?"

"Yup! Preparations are made so that the cyclops won't be able to follow you once you get hold of Naruto."

"That's his name?"

"Yup! Now shoo, you've wasted enough time already."

Sora narrowed his eyes, but ultimately shook his head and took off running in the pointed direction.

"Now time to get a bigger fish, and an asshole martyr."

And Segaku was gone too.

* * *

In a random spot on the nearby vicinities of the forest, two guys in black cloaks with red clouds watched a raven-haired boy limp towards the entrance of what looked like a random cave.

"Hmmm… your little brother is going to ally himself with the traitor... won't you do anything about it, Itachi?"

The stoic man besides him remained silent for a couple of seconds.

"His actions are not of my concern. Let's leave Kisame."

"Heh, whatever you-"

And the _thud_ of a heavy body falling to the ground interrupted the sentence, making Itachi jump backwards immediately.

"Man, the guy sure _is_ heavy. Yo!"

"What you did to Kisame."

"Ehhh… I would say a lobotomy, but no piece of brain was removed, so I'll just settle with Chakra exhaustion."

Itachi narrowed his eyes, sharingan already active and casting a genjutsu.

"That is impossible, Kisame has-"

"Yeah, yeah, the bijuu without tails and all that crap. Bleh."

Apparently, the shadows casted over the stranger's face - thanks to the hood of his black long cloak - managed to prevent his genjutsu from taking effect.

Masterful use of seals, apparently.

Sensing no evil intent from the person in front of him, and amounts of chakra barely of a high Chuunin, he decided that the best course of action would be to let the stranger talk and gather info about him. And the man seemed all too eager to talk.

"What are you looking for? It would be considered foolish to face me directly like this, and yet you managed to disable Kisame. No small feat, I must commend… I'll hear what you have to say."

Itachi could not see it, but could almost feel a feral smirk spread across this person's face, and for the first time in many years he felt fear… not for himself, but for-

"Let's talk then. How about we start talking about sweet, sweet, Sasuke?"

The voice was conversational, even amicable, but it sent shivers down his spine.

* * *

With a huff Sora managed to - finally - drag the unconscious blond all the way back to the spot where Segaku and him had been hanging around, and sat beside said boy, cleaning some sweat from his forehead with the back of his arm.

The boy- Naruto, he reminded himself, had been a bloody mess when he found him, lying on the ground with a gaping hole on his chest - just some centimeters shy from the heart - and a puddle of his own blood under him. Strangely enough, he could swear the wound was already healing by itself, with steam coming out of it, but dismissed the idea and casted _cure_ on him. The spell do its work immediately, erasing any trace of injury from him.

It had been raining that moment, and it only gave a more spooky vibe to the… _battleground_ where he found Naruto, surrounded by the rubble of what he was sure once was a statue, or maybe more. Gods, he had only saw that level of destruction once before, when the Hydra destroyed the Olympus coliseum, and that had been a sight to behold… just what kind of foes were faced here, to make kids the age of Naruto get injuries so dire?

"You- Oh great, you got the boy. You made sure nobody was following you, right?"

"Yeah… hey Segaku, what happened to him?"

"A friend went rogue and he tried to bring him back… You will be surprised by how similar he is to you."

Sora spared another glance at Naruto, this one filled of respect for the boy. Friendship was one of the things he valued the most, and was glad someone else would also go to such lengths for a friend.

"What are you waiting for? Summon the keyblade, we're going in."

"What?"

"We're going into his heart, you'll do a little something for me there, and then we're taking a detour to meet… _someone_ who also shares living quarters with Naruto here. Better to establish ground rules now if he's to work with you two."

"Again… what?"

"You'll see. Now hurry up, take us in."

Sora still looked dubious, but shrugged and summoned Future's Shadow, pointing its tip towards Naruto's chest, and with Segaku's hand over his, a thin ray of light was shot. Not long after both became small orbs of light and entered Naruto's chest.

* * *

 **(A/N): And that's a wrap, hope you liked this chapter and it doesn't sound too farfetched for your tastes. Remember, this is not meant to be totally serious, but to make you crack a smile.**

 **Frist outside world, one of my favorites. What do you think will happen now?**

 **If you liked this, but want to read something... slightly more serious, try my other KH fic called Wanderer. It has more content than this one, so maybe you'll find it entertaining too... support the author here? See ya' next time :D**


	5. And the plot thickens?

Sora needed, desperately, a moment to both sort things up in his head and calm his heart from the maelstrom of emotions still swirling within.

Besides the fact that, apparently, extracting a portion of your heart - no matter how tiny that part is - tend to be quite taxing on yourself.

Well, a least Segaku was... _kind enough_ to let him catch his breath after the ordeal, before they proceeded with the next part of the 'mission' they were currently undergoing.

Segaku's words, not his.

* * *

 _Flashback_

* * *

The dive to the physical representation of Naruto's heart was, at least for the weird duo, easy enough. Just a seemingly eternal freefall before spotting, and softly landing on top of, the bright glass platform depicting Naruto.

But… there was something Sora noticed right away, and questioned as soon as they were on solid ground.

"Hey Segaku."

"Hmmm?"

"Why is his platform so similar to mine?"

If not because of the glaring fact that it was Naruto who was leaning on a side of the circular platform, and he was not holding a keyblade, Sora could have easily mistaken the image he saw on the freefall with the one he saw when he faced Roxas for the first time.

True, the background was that of a forest, instead of a beach, and there were others replacing the faces of Riku, Kairi, Donald and Goofy, but still!

Strangely enough, one of them - the picture of another boy around their same age with black hair that resembled the… butt of a duck?

Okay.

The picture of that boy pulsated with dark energy, and he could feel the hurt it caused to the heart.

"The station of serenity - this place's name - is something… unique to your universe let's say, easy to access for you guys with keyblades, relatively speaking, but for the people here... not so much."

"I'm still waiting for an answer."

"I was getting there… sheesh. This place we are in right now wasn't really _meant_ to exist, at least not how we see it, before we came here- now, that doesn't mean Naruto himself didn't had the potential to create it, or maybe discover it?… Anyway, but with his unawareness of keyblades and all that stuff he would most likely never had the need to come here. Now, when you unlocked the path to this place there was no physical representation of Naruto's station, so your current keyblade took the most recent image you had in your mind, of your own station by the looks of it, and mixed it with Naruto's heart. This was the result."

"Future's shadow can do that?"

"Like I said before it is one of the most ancient keyblades, if not the most ancient one, and that status has its own perks. You'll see that in some worlds we'll visit rules you're used to follow - or exploit - just won't work in the same way, but that keyblade can… _bend_ those rules to something that can benefit you, as long as I'm there to help of course."

Sora looked at his new keyblade with newfound respect - even if that blue cat eye still unnerved him.

"Sooo… now what?"

"You place a little fragment of your heart inside his."

...

"WHAT!?"

"Dude, tune down the volume."

"B-but a piece of my heart!? That would-"

"That would make him also a keybearer, yes."

"... No."

"Excuse me?"

"I won't force anyone else in the position I was forced to take."

"Actually… you let Ven-"

"That's not the point! True, I enjoyed traveling through worlds and making lots of friends, and if I refused so much trouble wouldn't have been prevented, but… being a keyblade wielder was much more trouble than it's worth in the end. I won't force something like that onto someone else."

"Is that your final word?"

"Yes."

"Ok"

One second he saw Segaku shrug, but the next a black gloved hand pierced his chest before he even noticed the movement, light shining around the 'wound', and another went straight through the glass-like platform.

The emotions hit him like a truck.

Anger, loneliness, helplessness, despair, betrayal, sadness, self-loathing, hate, shame, and so many other dark emotions were swirling together like a tornado, forcing him to his knees since they burned with such intensity that he was starting to be physically hurt.

But he also felt, in the center of it all, two entirely different feelings shinning like a beacon, fighting wildly to overcome tide of darkness trying to snuffle them out.

Determination and hope.

Sora clung to those ones like a lifeline, trying to pull himself out of the maelstrom, but it was not enough… those two burned strongly, but not strong enough. It was as if they needed help to pull back all that darkness trying to consume the heart… as if reaching for a hand, help from someone - anyone - who would also _pull_ …

" _... place a fragment of your heart inside his."_

Before his mind could really give the order, his body desperately acted on its own, placing the keyblade over the light-leaking wound over his heart, and unlocking it, just that this time instead of the whole heart only a mote of light came out.

The bright emotions inside Naruto's heart instantly reacted to the light, the platform starting to slightly shine and making Sora feel a gentle pull, as if a shy and scared kid was hopeful, but unsure, that he would really help him. So, with a warm smile, the keyblade wielder gently guided that small mote of light into the platform, and instantly the tornado calmed down.

"There, there" he found himself whispering to the wounded heart "everything will be fine now, everything will go alright" and a soft warmth, like a hug, enveloped him also helping him calm down.

"Gather your bearings" Segaku said, and Sora almost missed it "there is still a second part of this mission to do."

* * *

 _End flashback_

* * *

"You better now?"

At least Sora managed to give a weak nod, before getting up with a grunt and using his keyblade like a cane to keep himself up, legs and arms weak, trembling out of exhaustion, still not entirely recovered from what he just went through.

"What- why-" he tried to ask panting, shaking his head to get rid of the dizziness.

"That - to answer your first question - was a _taste_ of all the crap he tries to ignore everyday of his life."

Sora's face whipped in the direction of Segaku's voice, his face paling even more hearing that.

"What?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper, thick with disbelief at the claim.

"Young Naruto is a… very special case, with a back-story so angsty that would have broken some of the most strong grown ups you have met, and yet one he braved with determination and lots, loooots of stubbornness, managing to make his light shine brighter than his darkness… until now."

"There was so much hurt… what could have caused all that darkness in someone so young?"

"Thaaat is kind of a long story, sad as hell and all sob and shit, dunno if you would like to hear-"

"Tell me."

"But-"

"He will travel with me through the worlds, right?" at Segaku's nod he continued "then I need to know more about him, so I can understand him and… and become his friend."

Segaku stared at Sora from under his hood, and the boy's determined gaze never wavered, so with a sigh his shoulders slumped.

"Fiiiiine, but I'll leave stuff out so you will have to find those things out by yourself… maybe along with Naruto… yeah, that would be fun! Oh, the face of the old pervert and the hag when he-"

"Hey! I'm still waiting."

"Oh, true. Well, Naruto was supposed to be born into a caring and loving family, respected by everyone and with the gift of the potential to become one hell of a legend on his own right. Sadly, the darkness of this world - and you'll learn that there is a LOT of darkness here - saw an… opportunity to accomplish one of its goals the day he was born."

"Why the day he was born?"

"You'll have to find that out by yourself. The very same day Naruto was born a demon was released in his home village, strong enough to wipe it out of existence, and partially managing to do so, but the ninja-"

"Wait, ninja? This is a ninja world?"

"Yeah, didn't I tell you that?" Sora shook his head "Oh well, now you know. The ninja of the village… hmm, for explanation sake, imagine it somewhat like Mulan's world that first time you visited it, just that in a smaller scale and with younger soldiers… and waaaay more bloodier… but now that I think about it, in context Mulan's world was also quite dark if you take the time to catch the hints. Remember the village that was burned down? You ever found where the villagers were? Besides that, remember the fight at the summit? I'm sure there were also Huns between the heartless before the avalanche, and yet there was none when the palace was attacked… interesting… anyway, you got the idea?"

Sora was wide-eyed and gaping, but managed to give a slow nod.

"Good!" Segaku said cheerfully "Now where was I? Oh, Naruto's birthday. Well, there was this huge ass fox demon called Kyuubi no kitsune – demon fox of nine tails, if you wish it translated - that was trashing the village, but its leader, the Yondaime Hokage - Fourth fire's shadow, translated. Don't ask me where that name came from, it's one of those world things - defeated it. Now here is where things get crappy for Naruto, because you see, the Yondaime couldn't just kill the demon, since it would just reappear in some years and all would have been for naught, so the only other thing left to do was vanish it."

"He could do that?"

"As a seal master, there was little he couldn't do" at Sora's confused look he just chuckled "ask any other mage you meet about runes, the theory is the same. Anyway, the Yondaime saw the sealing of the demon as the only option for victory, but the only kind of vessel strong enough to hold it was a human baby. The logic behind that is weird so don't ask, this story is long enough without that extra explanation so be happy knowing it is the way it is. The guy decided to sacrifice himself to summon death itself - they call it Shinigami here - and in exchange for his life, death helped him craft a seal strong enough to keep the fox demon jailed, and that way the village was saved and the demon defeated. Happy ending, right? Well, no, can you guess who was that unfortunate baby that became the vessel for the demon fox?"

"Naruto?" Sora answered with wide eyes, even if the answer was obvious at this point.

"Yup!"

"B- but what about his parents!? Were they fine with it?"

"Well, the mother was reluctant, but the father was all in, something about a prophecy and the need of the demon's strength to protect the village in the future. Also, too bad his parents died protecting him the moment the demon was defeated, so there was not much to be done there."

"Wow, so he became somewhat like Riku."

"Hmmm… not really, but if it help you understand I guess? Riku was more of the emo teenager who repented his sins kind, Naruto never had a say in the thing, kind of asshole-ish from his parents."

"So it's because of that demon he has so much darkness inside him?"

"Funny enough, no. You see, the demon was defeated but lots of people were killed in the attack, and killed people tend to leave hateful people behind, and like there was no demon to blame for the dead people the closest thing was Naruto."

"But according to what you said, Naruto was the one who kept the demon away."

"True, but sadly the sealing was not done inside the village, so people never saw what really happened."

"Then how they knew, if they never saw it?"

"Well… the next Hokage, a really old man who was the predecessor of the Yondaime at the same time, thought it would be a good idea to tell everyone Naruto was the vessel of the demon fox" Sora facepalmed "Yeah, not one of his brightest ideas, but he thought the boy would be seen as a hero, so… yeah... maybe it was one of his senior moments?"

"Heh. So I get he was hated by his village."

"Yeah… the thing here is that they never openly treated him bad, but… hmmm… imagine yourself being given the cold shoulder by everyone, and I mean _everyone_ , and you have no idea why. It doesn't sound that bad, true, but Naruto was just a kid, and when a kid never gets attention… again, imagine yourself growing up without friends, without anyone to play with or talk to, well, that's what he went through."

Now Sora had a deep frown that looked out of place on his 13 year old face.

"That's cruel… nobody ever cared for him?"

"There were a couple of people, but they appeared kinda late and the damage was already done. Funny thing, instead of returning the hate, even if hurt, the boy aimed to gain the respect from the people of his village, deciding to become their leader."

"Even after all that?"

"Yeah… makes you wonder how a kid can endure all that when others would turn homicidal with half the problems. Now you understand what happened? My aim wasn't to force upon him the Keyblader mantle, but to ease his pain, specially now…"

Sora's gaze immediately jumped to the image of the dark haired boy, the darkness now less noticeable but still visible, and Segaku noticed it.

"Sasuke Uchiha" he said with a sigh "another boy who went through too much too soon, especially with that idiot of an older brother… sadly he took the wrong turn seeking for power, hurting everyone in the process. This blond idiot receiving the brunt of it all."

"What happened?"

"With Sasuke? Another long ass sob story I won't tell, but between these two? Sasuke was the first person of Naruto's age who acknowledged him, first as a rival, and then as a friend. Best friend actually. But Sasuke was also very power hungry, all so he could satiate his need for revenge. When he was offered enough power to accomplish his goal he betrayed his village and friends, and just like you, Naruto would stop at nothing to get him back."

"Then that explosion earlier…"

"Yeah, and it was him who pierced that hole through Naruto's chest."

Sora was painfully reminded of Riku, and the hurt of seeing his best friend facing him on the opposite side of the battlefield.

"The ability of this boy to bounce back is surprising, but the wound on his heart caused by the betrayal would take more than mere months to heal, and then it would never completely close until his best friend was back."

Sora nodded.

"I understand now, why all this was needed."

Segaku let out a relieved sigh.

"You care a lot about him"

"Well…" the _god_ said scratching the back of his head sheepishly "my life isn't exactly songs and roses, and sometimes when I was really down, seeing Naruto go through his life brought me a smile… now that I have the chance I would like to return him the favor, specially with how much he needs it."

Sora smiled and nodded.

"That's a good reason to do all this, and I'm happy that I can be of help. Besides, I always wanted to have an apprentice, because of course now I'm a keyblade master, right?"

"You still doubt it?"

"Nah, just making sure of it."

Both chuckled after that

"You fine to keep going?"

"Yeah, where are we going now?"

The scenery around them changed in an instant, from the glass-like platform to a huge chamber; with a ceiling so high it disappeared in the darkness, and murky water covering the floor.

"Now we are going to meet the demon fox."

Sora's head whipped in the direction of Segaku's voice, finally noticing the jail-like part of the room, where he could see two red slitted eyes opening in the darkness behind the bars of the huge double doors in front of him, and for the life of him he could swear the eyes alone were as big as him, and held such malice in them that he wished to turn back, crawl on a corner and cry.

"What are you waiting for?"

"Huh?"

"Use that oversized key I gave you and open the jail."

…

"WHAT!?"

* * *

 **(A/N): Well, that's that. It seems this little... transition? Will last for one more chapter, sorry if you were hoping to be done with this now but... yeah. I'm taking sugestions for possible worlds, and I don't discriminate, it can be books, comics, tv shows, games, whatever!**

 **Just something... there was this _review_ for the last chapter that left me with a bad taste in my mouth. The review box is for that, REVIEWS! not personal messages or religion/politics or whatever, so please, refrain to spam in the review box or you will get a report and also get me to block you.**


	6. Interlude: Neglected Prophecy

With a loud groan the boy rubbed the sleepiness out of his eyes, yawning and stretching before jumping off from the chair he was resting on, looking forlornly to the door that lead to his bedroom, but shaking his head and making those tempting thoughts… _really tempting thoughts_ … leave his head.

At least for the moment.

Scratching his head he made his way to the kitchen, where he poured water to the boiler and let it heat while he busied himself with the choice of what flavor of instant ramen he would pick for today, while also mentally thanking that his brief shut-eye gave him enough rest to work semi-properly, without anything happening in that period of time.

He doubted his endurance would last for much longer, but still he could not let himself succumb, that would mean that _he_ won.

Hearing the boiler whistle jolted him back to the real world, so deciding to go with shrimp this time he took the cup and poured the hot water on it, letting the mix do its job during the three minutes he was used – and still hated – to wait for his food to be ready.

In that little space of time he made his way to the bathroom, to splash some water on his face and see how worse he looked compared to the previous day.

"Well, I still look like crap, feel like crap, and – _snif, snif –_ ugh, smell like crap too. Maybe it's time to finally shower, but first my ramen!"

He merrily made his way to the kitchen, where his cup of instant ramen was waiting for him. It was strange, he thought as he ate his ramen, how cheery and happy he was, despite the fact that he was almost dropping dead on his spot out of sheer tiredness and sleep deprivation, especially when the cause of it was still roaming on his head, trying to plant funny ideas there and convince him they were true.

Sitting again on his chair and humming happily he enjoyed his breakfast – was it still morning? Maybe it was dinner at this point… meh, too much trouble to unblock his windows, besides that someone could try to enter through there if he opened them.

Pointedly ignoring the loud bangs on his door and the loud shouts of his name he finished his ramen and threw the empty cup to the bin, before heading to the bathroom for the long-delayed shower, hoping the water was still running there and was not blocked to force him out of his apartment.

When water started to pour down he sighed in relief and undressed, looking at himself once more on the mirror before stepping under the stream of water.

His hair was a mess, still blonde but greasy and dirty, having lost its usual shine. His skin was pale – maybe because of not having stepped out for almost a week by now – and his blue eyes were dull and droopy, the bags under them almost rivaling those of Gaara, but despite his terrible appearance he still smiled weakly and winked to the mirror before stepping under the water.

At first the cold water made him jump, but not too much later he grew accustomed to it, actually enjoying the feeling of sweat and grime being cleaned from his skin. With a generous amount of shampoo – damn, he was running low on that… maybe he would send a clone to buy that, and more ramen, later – he started to massage his scalp to get rid of all the nasty stuff there, but after a a couple of seconds the movement of his hands… it felt… _good..._ relaxing… and even if a part of his brain was screaming at him to stop the motion, a larger, right now stronger, and way more tired part of it welcomed the feeling as his eyes slowly started to close.

"A - _yawn-_ little nap, nothing else… nothing bad will…"

" _Naruto-kun"_

EEEEEEEEEKKKK!

Hands immediately flew towards his groin, doing his best to cover his private areas.

"Dude! What the fuck! I'm taking a shower here! If you're going to live in my head at least respect my me-time!"

The image of Itachi Uchiha just rose an amused eyebrow and signaled at him.

" _You are fully clothed Naruto-kun, whatever you may be talking about."_

Naruto looked downwards and realized that, indeed, he was fully clothed in his usual orange tracksuit so, furiously blushing, removed his hands from his groin and stood straighter.

"Look, you already know what's my answer so whatever you're going to tell, save it."

" _But Naruto-kun, you have already started to realize that what I'm telling you is true."_

"No way! I'll would never think that stuff of my friends, or the village!"

" _Then why have you distanced yourself from them?"_

"W-well, because-"

" _Wouldn't it be because you are doubting them? Because if you don't reassure yourself first you won't be able to face them without remembering every truth I have told you?"_

"I… I d-don't…" To be truthful, Naruto was feeling nervous. It had been so easy for him to shut Itachi out and ignore everything he said, about his friends, about baa-chan and ero-sennin, about Konoha and Sandaime-jiji, but now… every time he shut his eyes there was the Uchiha, ready to sell him more lies, and the frustrating part was that every time it was a little more difficult to ignore him, because every time the images he was shown felt more true.

And yes, even he was starting to doubt his friends and precious people.

But he would not lose this battle… at least not today… he hoped… Shaking his head, Naruto gave Itachi a defiant look.

"I won't let you confuse me even more!"

" _Oh, so you finally admit that my efforts have not been for naught?"_

Too late Naruto realized he had admitted Itachi was influencing him.

"No! I don't-"

" _But you are Naruto-kun. Even if you try to deny it, deep inside you the answer is already clear. You have always known it."_

"That's not true! Everyone lo-"

" _Loves you? Are you sure?"_ Itachi's sharingan started to spin slowly _"why don't we review that?"_

Slowly Itachi disappeared and Naruto found himself watching scene after scene of the many times the people he called friends dismissed him without much more than a glance. He had proved himself more than once, damn it! He had shown everybody he was just not a brat!

Then why did it felt like everyone still thought of him like an annoyance?

Why did Sasuke left?

" _Don't try to convince yourself otherwise Naruto-kun, you know all you are watching is true… why would I need to lie here? We are inside your mind, and all I need to do to show you what you need to see is... dig a little deeper."_

The blonde fell on his rear when the strength left him, as more memories he buried deep down started to play before his eyes, when he was just a kid and nobody would even turn to look at him, when he still was unable to tune out the whispers and could hear all the mean things people would say about him… his mind was tired, his resolve was weakened, so as more scenes continued to remind him about how much the village _really_ hated him, slowly, very slowly, he started to see things the way Itachi wished him to.

The grinding of a whole week had finally started to break him.

"N-not everyone ha-hates me…" the boy said, his eyes wide with tears streaming down from them "t-there must be s-someone…"

The image of a ramen stand appeared before him, some of the most happy memories of his childhood appearing with it.

"Teuchi-san and Ayame-nee! They do love me!"

" _Do they now?"_ Itachi's voice whispered _"They are a couple of kind people in a sea of hate, that is true, but there is a great difference between kindness and love."_

Memories when Naruto ate there as a kid replayed, along with big smiles and many laughs, but slowly they started to fade as the father and daughter couple walked away, their smiles still on their faces, but still leaving little Naruto alone in a sea of darkness once again.

" _They were kind to you, they treated as part of their family… while you remained eating their food. Tell me Naruto-kun, would they have taken you to their house if they had the chance? Cared for you like a true member of their family?"_

"Of course they-" Doubt.

Naruto doubted them.

His mind was paranoid now, seeing scenarios he would have never before even considered, where the kind chef and his daughter would just turn their heads outside of the little haven that was the ramen stand.

" _You see Naruto-kun? You understand what I mean?"_

A small nod started to appear, but the next second he shook his head furiously.

"No! There are so many others… Baa-chan, Ero-sennin, Kakashi-sensei, Sandaime-jiji…"

" _Every and each one of them have a reason to keep you happy within the walls of the village, the very same reason the rest of it hates you."_

"You lie…"

" _How convenient was that Sandaime-sama appeared on you hour of greatest need as the grandfatherly figure he was, but not before. How convenient to gain the loyalty of a love-deprived child that, coincidentally, was also the greatest weapon the village had against outside-threats, when said village clearly hated it. It would have been a shame if such power was wasted if the kid containing it decided the village was not worth it."_

Naruto shook his head, forcing himself to ignore all Itachi was saying about the old man Hokage, but…

"It makes sense…"

" _Kakashi-san and Jiraiya-sama are clearly just following the orders of Sandaime-sama, or have you forgotten their… care?"_

Again memories replayed before Naruto, when Kakashi neglected him in order to privately train Sasuke away from the village, and when Jiraiya almost killed him just to force the use of the Chakra of the demon sealed within him.

" _Tsunade-sama may be the only one with pure intentions, but she is Hokage, her free will begins and ends between the boundaries the village council impose to her. They control you and fear you at the same time, they want you to be with your head bowed and ready to surrender your life for them. She can do nothing."_

"B-but the Hokage-"

" _Is just the military head figure, not the true head of the village."_

Naruto's shoulders slumped as everything Itachi told him finally sank in, and made his dream crumble.

"I-I'm… alone… and not even being Hokage..."

" _You have surrounded yourself with people, that is true, and a bond has been formed with them, but it is not one of friendship. For you to really call them your friends you will have to share your darkest secret with them… do you think your bond with them would survive that?"_

With no strength left, Naruto just shook his head and remained silent for some minutes, then suddenly he asked.

"Why are you doing all this?"

For a moment the question surprised Itachi, for he was expecting the child to break down once he was done tearing apart every single link that kept him tied to the village, but instead he seemed to be oddly calm.

" _The weapon you now are entitled to wield, it holds power that is far greater than any available to us shinobi, power that can not belong to the Elemental Nations."_

Looking at his hand, the boy summoned in a flash of light what looked like an oversized skeleton key, colored in gold and silver, at the same time feeling something inside him soothe the pain the words of Itachi brought as he watched it appear.

" _The keyblade… a weapon that brings as much weight upon the shoulders of the chosen to wield it as the power it gives. I have been… shown what lies ahead of you Naruto-kun, and your future holds the key to keep safe what I work to achieve, so as my interests are now aligned with your wellbeing, you can consider myself an… unexpected ally. Sadly, the darkness of this world is far too strong for you to face alone. You need to grow strong and gain allies that can help you, perhaps even friends, and for that you need to leave."_

"Leave the village?"

Itachi Uchiha chuckled.

" _Leave the world, Naruto-kun."_

That made the boy jump to his feet.

"What?"

" _The power you now hold does not belong to this world. One of the few people capable of instructing you in its correct usage especifically chose you to wield it, confident that you will be able to accomplish your goals with it, placing upon me the task of preparing you to leave. You have to leave the Elemental Nations, Naruto-kun, and the bonds you try so hard to keep will only hinder you, and hurt you, as you discover what the future has in store for you now."_

"You sound like you care."

" _You remind me of him…"_

"Uh?"

A sad smile appeared on the elder's face.

" _Bonds also force me to do what I must, to protect what I care the most about. You and I aren't so different Naruto-kun… we both are victims of our emotions, but you have been given the chance to escape my fate."_

"You mean Sasuke… Sasuke! I can't leave! I promised Sakura-Chan I would bring him back!"

" _My foolish little brother would defeat you again, you need to become stronger if you wish to defeat him… strength you will not find within the village, for the very same reason they keep you weak. They fear you."_

Both remained silent for some time, one waiting patiently for the answer of the other, whose frown signaled he was really considering it, a far cry from the stubborn kid he first saw a week ago.

"Leaving wouldn't made me a missing-nin?"

" _What is left for you within the village? Besides, if you do bring back my foolish little brother, do you think he would be treated any different from any other missing-nin? He defected Konoha to ally himself with Orochimaru, former member of Akatsuki on top of everything he is already charged of… he would be tortured for the information he could hold, just to be thrown into prison afterwards, or turned in for any bounty. That is the way of a shinobi village. Do you want that for him?"_

Naruto shook his head furiously.

"How will I know when to leave?"

Itachi looked at him curiously for some seconds.

" _Excuse me for the question, but why the sudden change? I expected more fight from you to agree leaving Konoha."_

Naruto let out a long sigh, deflating with it, and suddenly he looked like a fragile and lonely kid, but a small smile still made his way to his mouth.

"It hurts, it really hurts. I always thought that with my hard work alone one day I would make everyone respect me… I have come so far from the day I graduated from the Academy, but it means nothing for everyone else. For the grown ups I'm still the demon brat, and for the other rookies I'm a reliable comrade at best now, if I tell them about the Kyuubi…" he let the idea hang there, but placed his hand on his chest, right over his heart "I still have not given up on them, or the village, but I know that there's nothing I can do right now to change their opinion of me. If leaving can make me stronger then I will leave, then I'll return to protect them because, even if they are not really my friends, they are still my precious people… they are my strength, and something inside me say that's the right thing to do. So yeah, even if I become a missing-nin I will protect them without them knowing it, if not for the whole village, then only for those worth it within it. Tell me how will I know when to leave?"

The older of the duo kept his gaze on him, wondering how this boy, after all he had to endure, could overcome his own darkness in a way that his own younger brother could not. A strange mix of jealousy and pride swirled on his chest, and his next words came out in a kind tone that surprised even him.

" _The key will guide you."_

As that final sentence faded, so started to do Itachi.

"Wait, why are you leaving?"

" _My presence here was granted by the person who is looking after you for this purpose only. My work here is done, and so is the power that kept me here."_

"Will… will I ever see you again?"

The words came out so softly and insecure that Naruto cursed himself for it, and Itachi was confused by the genuine affection in them. After all he put the boy through there was no way just a couple of kind words from him were enough to warrant any sort of affection from the blond.

And yet he found himself allowing a small smile appear on his face.

" _I certainly hope so, Naruto-kun."_

After a blink, Naruto found himself again in his shower, hands still on his scalp as if all his conversation with Itachi had not even taken a second. For a moment he thought he had imagined the whole thing, but the next second he discarded that idea.

As much as it hurt him, Itachi was right, all this time he had been alone in a village he hoped one day would accept him, but like he told the Uchiha he was not defeated by that. Maybe one reason for his increasing happiness was that someone else, someone who was not even from this world, believed in him and chose him, _him!_ to wield the odd shaped sword he got while in the mission to Moon country… he would travel to other worlds! Meet new people! Maybe others would know better than the people in the village, once it was him the one doing the explanations.

What reason would have Itachi Uchiha to lie about that, after all?

Finishing with his bath, Naruto stepped out of the bathroom, dried himself already feeling better, and with a skip on his step he threw on a black t-shirt and shorts, before summoning his… keyblade, Itachi called it? And dismissed all the barriers he had conjured on every entrance to his apartment.

Then he dismissed the keyblade and headed to his bedroom, to finally catch up with his so needed sleep, with a smile on his face and wild ideas about how other worlds would be.

* * *

 **(A/N): Sooo... final part of this little introduction, next chapter will be, like the others, Sora-centric with some explanations to stuff left open here and perhaps with Naruto being picked up too, from there you can forget about The Elemental Nations for a while for we'll be revisiting some familiar worlds.**

 **Hope you liked this little interlude, if anything it was meant to make things clearer, not confuse you even more. If I did so, well, sorry for that. Hope you had fun reading this and I hope to see you guys on the next upload.**


	7. From Zero to Hero (Part 1)

**(A/N): Quick note before we start, first this is a long chapter due to the long delay, sorry. Second, I don't own anything that I, obviously, don't own but might appear in this chapter; and third, this is not meant to be 100% accurate, think of it as an adaptation to fit what I had in mind for this world. Might contain minor spoilers for a certain superhero movie. You've been warned.**

* * *

 _(Six months later)_

"Sooo... why are we stalking him again?"

" _Shhhh,_ we're not _stalking_ him, we're just following him."

"Uhhh, I don't _think_ there's a difference between those."

"..."

"Is there?"

"Fiiiine, maybe we _are_ stalking him, but I swear it's for a good reason."

"Which is?"

Two boys bickered as they made their way down the street, the blond - who looked concentrated in not losing sight of the _other_ kid their age he was following - took out a glass jar from his backpack and shoved it on his best friend/brother chest - who was just following him with both hands behind his head, an amused smile on his face and no care in the world - with a glued piece of paper that had something written on it.

He really wished to whistle the tune of the Imperial March, but guessed that Naruto would get mad at him if he did.

"Web fluid?" he read with a raised eyebrow "What does that- no… you can't mean…"

"I knew something was off ever since he started that internship at Stark industries Sora. Being personally picked up by Tony Stark? It was a little too convenient because, sure, Peter is a really smart guy and everything, but Stark was _not_ looking out for smart kids to work with, he was looking for _us_ "

"Yup! And Spiderman!"

"Yeah, and Spiderman... remember he knew who you were under the armor?"

"And you under the makeup?"

"It's _not_ makeup! You're just jealous you don't have the awesome Chakra cloak Kurama gives me."

"... Suuuuuure… "

Naruto narrowed his eyes and huffed at Sora's amused face but said nothing else about that topic, seeing Peter walk into a sandwich store.

"Well, if he _knew_ who we were even when we kept things as hidden as possible-"

"Naruto, your golden makeup is not _exactly_ discreet"

"It's _not_ makeup!"

People walking by turned at Naruto's sudden outburst, giving him odd looks and making him blush in embarrassment.

"Ok, ok, sheesh, learn to take a joke, won't you?"

Naruto said nothing again, but Sora could see the edge of his mouth twitch upwards.

"If friggin' _Iron Man_ knew who _we_ were" Naruto continued "then of course he knew who Spiderman is."

"But why are you so sure that it's Peter?"

"I saw him lift his entire locker block with one arm, and pick one of those" he said pointing the glass jar still in Sora's hand "from a backpack hidden there."

"... Ok, that is proof enough, but how you got this one?"

Naruto just gave him a deadpan look.

"Oh, true, chakra _, duh..._ You know that thing is broken, right? Don't you feel like cheating with it?"

"Oh _please_ Sora, if we talk about broken stuff why don't we talk about your keyblade? The only thing it doesn't do is let you clone yourself… _yet_ "

It was Sora's turn to grumble and say nothing.

"My theory is that Stark convinced Peter to fight on his side on that problem he had with the other super guys."

"All that stuff Segaku told us that happened a couple of months ago?"

"Yup, and now he's some sort of reserve superhero helping people here while he finishes high school- hide!"

Both boys snuck behind a corner when Peter came out of the store, looking as if someone was following him, and only when he started walking again the duo came out of hiding.

"So... Peter, huh? I wouldn't have imagined it. I mean, between Ned and him he gives that perfect school nerd vibe… n-not that it is a bad thing, but, well, you get the idea, right?"

"Sora, we _are_ school nerds, if you haven't noticed, and yet we still kick ass in the streets when we go on patrol."

"Well…"

"How much time it took you to Max the level of your World of Warcraft character?"

"Hey, anyone with enough liking of the game would-"

"How many pieces does Ned's Lego Death Star has?"

"..."

"I'm still waiting"

"I only know that because Ned was repeating it all day through classes ok? Besides, when Ned said we could join him and Peter in building it you _squealed_."

"And you didn't?" Naruto teased.

"I- I… That was a manly shout of excitement!"

"Suuuuuure"

"Fine, fine" Sora said with a laugh "we _are_ school nerds."

"Hey" Naruto said nudging Sora's side with his elbow "There's nothing to be ashamed of, if there's something I've realized is that here I'm- well, _we're_ kids, and that's what kids do. Whine about classes, teachers and homework; have friends, pretend to be older just to look cool, try to woo girls; enjoy toys, video games and music without a worry about what will happen tomorrow, besides doing homework and going back to school, then keep doing the same thing every day. _That's_ what we're supposed to do here…" then his shoulders slumped and his voice lost some of it's cheerfulness "Well, that's what _normal_ kids do here, but we're not from here, right? I mean… you had it similar back at your islands until you got the keyblade, but me? _Normal_ for me meant being left all alone most of the time, only hoping things would get better once I became a ninja. The closest thing to _normal_ there was the academy, but still... only _now_ I see how… _bad_ some of the stuff taught there was… and then we graduated and got into teams… Sakura-chan… Sasuke…"

Sora stepped in front of the blonde and wrapped him in a tight hug, not caring about making him lose sight of Peter, or getting weird looks from the bystanders.

It was his obligation to help him heal from his time at his… _home._

"Naruto, please, don't think about that again ok? You aren't in that place anymore. Here you can enjoy all of this _normal_ stuff as much as you want, because here we have friends, good friends, and videogames, a- and music too! Heh, even silly toys like the Lego Death Star Ned has, and I wouldn't let anyone deny you _any_ of it because you deserve it, much, _much_ more than so many others out there."

Naruto didn't realize he had been shaking until Sora pushed him against his chest, and found himself surprised by the gesture for a moment, but after a couple of seconds he returned the hug with a soft smile.

"I know, I _know,_ it's just that sometimes… nevermind, it's nothing"

" _Naruto…_ "

The blond broke the embrace and looked to a side while scratching the back of his head in embarrassment, a soft blush dusting his cheeks.

"Really, it's nothing, just me being silly."

"You know I never dismiss anything that goes through that brain of yours" Sora said tapping Naruto's head "this little trip should be proof enough. You know you can trust me."

Naruto just sighed and started walking again, placing his hands on the pockets of his orange hoodie, and letting Sora put an arm around his shoulders in a half-hug, having already given up in following Peter, letting Sora guide him wherever he wished to go now.

"It's just that sometimes… sometimes I fear all this is just some sort of nice dream I will wake up from some day, and then I'll be back at my old apartment still in Konoha… I don't want to go back there… not _yet_. I like it how life is here, without worries or missions, or… or… I- I'm _not_ a weapon!" Sora squeezed the hand he had placed on Naruto's shoulder, making the blonde flinch a little, but then sigh "Here I can be happy because the people don't fear Kurama's power like the people back at the village. Heck, they would even call me a hero because of it… and still I can't help but feel a little guilty I'm liking this world so much more than mine."

"Kurama's not a bad guy" Sora said avoiding that specific topic, knowing there wasn't much more he could say that hadn't already been said "he's just a grumpy oversized fuzzball who needed someone to relate to."

Naruto's gaze glazed for a second before he shook his head slowly, releasing a chuckle along with the movement.

"Kurama says that he will feast on your flesh and clean his teeth with your bones for daring to call him all that."

Sora's answer was a loud laugh as he directed them towards an alley.

"I'm sure people would also like him more if he improved his social skills… look, I know how hard it is because I'm also afraid one day this is going to end"

He stopped and then stepped in front of Naruto.

"But hey, we have a 'god' on our side now, so maybe we are worrying for nothing, huh? Let's not think about it and just enjoy what we have now. We won't stay here forever after all… remember what Segaku said when we arrived?"

"To unlock the path to the next world, the boy must learn that the hero is more than a mask."

Both boys shared a look before they shook their heads.

"He's just like Master Yen Sid" whined Sora "even when things were dire he always spoke all riddle-y."

"Kakashi-sensei was all about _looking underneath the underneath,_ sometimes it was just irritating."

"At least this should count as a good first step, don't you think?" Sora said removing a backpack glued to the wall next to him.

"Is that-?"

"Peter's backpack? Well, these are his clothes" he said taking out a shirt from the bag "so I guess that yeah, it is… and yup, it's glued with spider webs."

"How you-"

"You're the ninja here, you tell me."

Naruto glared at him for a second, before he huffed and pouted.

"Fine, you surpassed my awesome shinobi skills this time, now what do we do?"

Sora held the cocky smile for one more second before placing a hand under his chin and frowning in thought.

"Well, now we know for sure he's Spiderman, so I think it would be unfair if we don't come clean with him."

"Quick question" Naruto said while raising his arm "does he even know there are other people like him going all hero on the streets in the afternoons?"

"Only one way to find out" Sora answered at the same time he slammed his fist over a metal bracelet on his left arm, light covering him for a second before it dissipated, leaving behind a figure clad in black and white armor "just tell Kurama to don't go overboard with the makeup this time, we just want to talk with Peter, not become the next trending topic."

With that he summoned Future's Shadow and threw it to the air, also jumping and landing over a black and white hovering board, dashing out the alley they were in with the backpack still in hand.

"If he keep up with the makeup jokes, Kurama" Naruto said as golden flames enveloped him, making his eyes become red slits instead of the usual blue, two strands of his hair stand up emulating horns, and making everything - skin, hair and clothes - glow on a warm, golden light "I will let you deal with him."

With that said he jumped from wall to wall until he was on the rooftops, jumping from one to another keeping up with his best friend/brother.

* * *

Peter knew today would be a… _different_ day because... well, the best way to explain it would be that it reminded him too much of the day he found Mr. Stark sitting on the couch talking with aunt May.

It had been a great day at school. He had finished another jar of fluid without problems, Ned got the Lego Death Star - note to self: Thank Naruto again for telling him that he agreed to let the assembly be done at his house while he was in la-la-land with Liz - and his two newest friends were _somehow_ still his friends, despite them being kind of popular and the rest of the school branding Ned and him as losers - well, _weird_ loser in his case, but MJ wasn't being mean there… he hoped - and that kind of lowered them to his social status, but they were cool with it so yeah, everything was fine.

Patrol had gone great - apart from the 'car robbery' incident - and now he was taking a small rest while eating the Burrito that kind old woman bought for him, sure that Happy would answer this time.

Well, almost sure.

"I told you we would find him on the rooftops, it would be impossible to talk with him while he's swinging anyway."

The mask was on in a second, the unfinished burrito falling to the street about… hmmm… five or six floors down, and he was turning to face whoever spoke, already with a comment about how his schedule was full, when-

"Why are you glowing?"

There were two guys standing there, one clad in the most cool set of white and black armor he had ever seen covering him from head to toe, holding an oddly shaped _big_ sword in the same black and white theme; while the other glowed in a golden color, dressed in what seemed to be common clothes, if the shape of the hoodie was anything to say, but there were also many symbols drawn everywhere in black lines, the most prominent being a spiral on the stomach.

"I'm glowing because I'm awesome!" The glowing guy said with a wide grin and pointing a thumb towards himself… where had he seen that before?

" _cough-_ makeup- _cough"_

"Stop it with the makeup jokes! It's getting old already!"

"Fine, fine, steal my fun won't you."

"Sorry if I interrupt… whatever is going on here but, who are you guys?" Peter said while rising a hand, making the two already bumping heads turn in his direction.

"Oh, true" armor guy said while throwing something to him "don't leave your stuff in random alleys, next time the one who finds it might not give it back."

His blood froze seeing that it was his backpack what had been thrown into his hands, and if they had delivered it personally to him then…

"You can't tell anyone"

"Sure thing Pete, we're all friends here right? Besides May would have _the_ freak out if she ever learns you've been swinging around the city dressed in tight spandex, fighting armed criminals and stopping cars out of control with your bare hands" then glowing guy shuddered "I can almost hear her screaming already."

"Exactly! That's why- wait, how do you know May?"

Armor guy facepalmed, making an odd noise with his helmet, and glowing guy gave another wide smile, white teeth almost lost on the sea of gold light, and hand scratching the back of his head. It just dawned on him at that moment how similar he looked to Naruto, specially after he did one of those infuriatingly amusing stunts that had already made May freak out once- oh… Oh…

As realization hit him - like a truck, he might add - both guys released their… transformations? Bright light surrounding armor guy, leaving behind Sora grinning sheepishly and doing the same gesture with his hand that gave Naruto away, and talking about him, the golden glow surrounding him died out like fire - and only now he noticed that at several points the glow extended and moved like dancing flames - leaving behind Naruto, still with that same expression on his face.

"Whoah! Wh- Wha- where- Ok, ok, just relax Parker, take deep breaths and calm down, because there is no way your two new best friends, first, already know your secret identity, and second, have secret identities of their own, or even powers, because they are just two normal guys… well, two cool normal guys that go to my school, share classes with me and are great to hang out with, but I'm imagining them here because either I'm feeling lonely or that burrito had something on it, so now I'll close my eyes, count to three, and when I open them again I'll be alone in this rooftop. Everything will be alright Peter, just follow the plan and... everything will be alright" with that he closed his eyes, counted down to three, and once he opened them again…

"Nope, they are still here…" taking a hand to his head he took out his mask, feeling a little anxious already and in need of fresh air touching his face, while sitting down and raking his other hand over his hair "Guys, what is going on here?"

The amused faces at his ramble and attempt at self-convincing disappeared once they saw his panicky state, so they walked and sat each on a side of him, placing both their arms around his shoulders.

"Hey Peter" Sora started "This is not as bad as it seems… I mean, it's us! We know how important is to keep things secret."

"Even if we don't appear on YouTube" Naruto added.

"What he meant" Sora said giving an annoyed look at Naruto, noticing Peter pale a little at the mention of Youtube "Is that we care a lot about you, Ned and May, and we wouldn't do anything to put you guys in danger. We are new to this… city, and so far you three have been nothing but kind to us, so all this is because we really care for you in return."

"You are like family to us, and we value family and friendship above everything else."

He heard his friends tell him all this and tried to remain scared because, well, his secret was out, and he never intended to let that happen... at least until Mr. Stark asked him to, but looking at the faces of his friends, seeing the sincerity they radiated… betraying his wishes his body relaxed and air starting to reach his lungs like it was supposed to do, shortly followed by his mind, accepting that yeah, from all the people who could have discovered it, these two were some of the best options that could have forced themselves upon him.

Besides that, somehow, they also had their own secret to keep, and had shared it with him, so… kinship?

"Happy won't like to hear about this" he said with a laugh.

"Then don't tell him- ow! What was that about?"

"Don't give him ideas" Sora scolded, making Naruto pout "Maybe he's some sort of Superhero trainer? I mean, someone must have taught him how to defend himself, right?"

He just chuckled awkwardly.

"Happy is Mr. Stark's security guard… I think? and I have to report to him until I get a new mission."

"Mission?"

"Yeah! Because Mr. Stark believes I'm strong enough so much that he came all the way here to Queens to ask me for help fighting the other Avengers" he said smugly "that was my first mission, by the way."

"No way!" Naruto said excited "He made you an Avenger?! Do tell, what happened!"

The enthusiasm he saw in the face of his two friends urged him to tell them his experience in Berlin, and he felt so good, and enjoyed so much answering their questions, that the fact they also had some explanations to do didn't return to his mind until the sun started to set.

"So, guys… first and most important, how did you found out?"

"That would be me" Naruto said waving his hand "you really need to improve your stealth skills, because sneaking to an empty corridor when there's Lego goodness waiting for us at your home doesn't scream suspicious, at all."

Peter blushed at his friend's deadpan admitting that, yeah, that was not his brightest idea… but he had been so excited for going out to patrol today that the fact he could be suspicious absolutely flew out of his mind.

"Besides" his blond friend continued "if not for being Spiderman, then you would have become famous for managing to lift that whole locker block like it was made of marshmallow… even I have to admit it was a bit heavy when I took out one of those jars…"

"You what?" He said standing up the next second "You stole one of my fluid jars?"

"Well…" Naruto answered flushing scarlet in embarrassment "It's not like stealing, more like… gathering evidence?"

"Great, just great, as if it's not hard enough already to make those… at least you still have it with you, right?"

"Yeah, Sora had it with him."

Two heads turned towards the brunet, one worried and the other expectant, making him suddenly feel like the bad guy here.

"Uhhh, sorry guys but I kinda… left it on the floor of the alley?"

The groan that he let out made both Naruto and Sora cringe, and he felt bad for it the next second because it actually was kinda his fault for not being more careful, and his bad luck that it was Naruto, and not Sora, who found out… at least Sora would have called him first. Really, sometimes Naruto is too curious for his own good.

"Guys, sorry, I didn't meant to blame you… even if it's kind of- no, no, sorry for that. Do you think it would still be in that alley? I _really_ don't want to lose any of those jars."

"Maybe?" Naruto answered "I mean, it looked like nobody would use that place for anything, and you left your backpack there too, so yeah, maybe it's still there."

Peter had to admit that he was right, and thank that they brought his backpack with them because if when they arrived the fluid jar was not there… well, at least now he had his stuff with him, so once again putting the mask on he saw Sora summon the huge blade, throw it to the air and make it return as a hoverboard he jumped on, while Naruto just stretched.

"You won't go all golden?"

"Nah" he said with a shrug "That's mostly to hide my identity, or give me a boost if I need to, but we're not too far so I can follow you guys without problem."

Peter turned to Sora, and saw him nod confidently, so he just shrugged and jumped from the rooftop, web already shooting from his wrist, and hearing Naruto whoop loudly in joy as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop as if he had done the same thing his whole life, Sora laughing with him, sometimes jumping from his hoverboard and glide for some time, before summoning it again and doing some flashy stunt that made Naruto whoop even louder and rate him, before doing another stunt himself to get rated by Sora, engaging in some sort of friendly competition.

He stopped for a moment on his swinging and took perch on a nearby rooftop, watching them do their silly game laughing like they were just playing a game in the park, making him shake his head fondly while also feeling a little envious at how carefree they seemed, hoping he could join them, but knowing he was a hero now, an Avenger, and Mr. Stark believed that he would always do the right thing… he wouldn't disappoint his idol by acting like a kid, so-

"Hey Spider!" Naruto called him "bet you can't beat this!" and proceeded to jump so high he was almost at Sora's height, starting to do a series of turns and twists midair as he fell, before landing perfectly on his feet like a gymnast and bowing to them.

"I've seen better" Sora said unimpressed "six out of ten, what can you do Mr. webbs?"

It would have been so easy to say no, to just jump and say that he was worried about his fluid jar, and he knew they would have understood, making a beeline to the alley, but they seemed so happy, expecting him to join in their game… he remembered himself younger, one day in the park, when Uncle Ben was still around... no one would let him play because the other kids were afraid his glasses would break while playing, and they would get scolded for it.

" _Hey Peter"_ he said _"don't let their fear of getting into trouble take the fun away. Look, there's another kid alone over there, why don't you go play with him? Maybe then the others will let you two join."_

In the end they got to play with the other kids, and his glasses _did_ broke that day, but Uncle Ben just laughed and bought ice creams for everyone… that day he met Ned.

" _Nobody's perfect Peter, so don't let the fear of making a mistake ruin the fun for you, ok?"_

" _Never uncle Ben"_ he thought before jumping to the streets again.

"I don't think…" He started, seeing their faces lose their smiles "You could beat _this!_ " And he propelled himself to the air, using his web to reach higher and higher, until he was at Sora's height - giving him a wave - before he started free falling, web leaving his shooters at extreme rates crisscrossing between buildings, until he comfortably landed in a perfectly made spider web.

"Sooo… your rating?"

He started laughing at how their jaws dropped, knowing that he had wasted waaay more web fluid than what he should, but feeling so good after doing it that he couldn't bring himself to care.

"Well, that's the first time I have seen that one, so I guess it deserves a ten out of ten, don't you agree Naru?"

"Show Off" Naruto muttered, but then grinned widely and gave him double thumbs up "but yeah! That. Was. Awsome!"

The next half hour was spent in trying to outdo each other, all the time laughing and just enjoying a great time, Peter almost forgetting the reason they were heading to that alley, deciding to just keep playing with Naruto until Sora returned to the rooftops with the fluid jar on hand and a relieved expression on his face.

"Here Peter, I just forgot where I left it."

"Don't worry, I had a great time with you guys, and this? Well, I always could make more, besides that there's a couple more jars on the hiding spot so…"

"And you were being all bitchy about it- ouch! Hey, what's the big idea!"

"Don't complain, because you're even worse when you don't eat ramen for more than three days. At least he was being patient... sorry again Peter."

"No, no, don't worry, really, I was just… scared, I guess? I mean, this jar already gave me up to you, so maybe- Is that ATM down there being robbed?"

"Huh… it seems so…" Naruto said with, not really looking worried, and extending an arm to stop Peter, who was about to jump into action "Hey, let us handle this today ok? You've been going all hero the whole afternoon, let us have our share now."

He was about to protest, but he was also _reaaaaally_ curious about what they could do... besides that there was a robbery going on and they were wasting time?

"Fine, but you better deal with this quickly, we don't want to gather too much attention if they are armed."

"Says Mr. YouTube" Naruto grumbled, once again earning a mock hit from Sora "But yeah, I'll be done with this in a second" and then he saw them take out some sort of Hi-tech gizmo they used to cut out the entire machine "Ok, make it four" and with that he was once again enveloped on golden flames, just to disappear the next second, and return in exactly, Peter guessed, four seconds with a group of weird looking… weapons? he dropped to the floor, leaving the criminals knocked out while the alarm rang.

"W- what just happened?"

"Eh? Apparently the Avengers were low on cash and decided to stop by and retire some."

He supposed his face gave away how confused he really was, because Sora sighed and stepped next to a curious-looking Naruto, who was crouched next to the weapon on the ground, poking it everywhere.

"What he meant is that those guys" he said pointing to the robbers already being taken out by the police "had masks on with the faces of the avengers… and that he decided to show off. Remember earlier when he said that he only used the golden cloak when he needed a boost?" Peter nodded dumbly "Well, that's the kind of boost he meant. The drawback? It tends to attract too much attention, with all that glow- Naruto, deactivate the cloak… thanks."

"Guys" Peter said with a breath, a little overwhelmed by what he just saw "you need to tell me what you can do, because if not then I'll be freaking out every time I see you do something."

"Well..." Sora said scratching his head "The idea is that nobody _see_ us, but sure, I have no problems with sharing, you Naruto?"

"Nope! No problems with me, just let me seal all this for later" he said while he took out a scroll from inside his hoodie, opening it and placing all the weapons over a strange array drawn over it and doing… things with his hands, just for the weapons to disappear with a _poof_ of smoke the next second and the scroll roll itself up with a _snap_.

"Ok, you _really_ need to teach me how to do that."

* * *

"Hello- Yeah May, it's Sora… no, we're fine- Yeah, Peter's with us… no, he wasn't lost… yup, the second-hand store… no, it was Motherboards this time… yeah, please excuse us with Ned, but- yeah, a robbery nearby, that's why we took him here, we saw the police cars- no, we were not there when it happened, we were on our way there when we saw Peter through the glass of the store… ok, just letting you know because it's a bit late, we'll send Peter in a bit… stay here? You sure? It's not too far- ok, ok, I'll let you talk with him" and placing a hand over the speaker he called for Peter, who was going nuts with Naruto seeing how his collection of World of Warcraft action figures had increased since the last time he was here "Peter! May wants to talk with you!" loud footsteps signaled his friend was running to get the phone, so he handed it to him - he was already on his normal clothes, spiderman suit safe in the backpack - and walked back to the room he shared with Naruto… just to hear him grumbling.

"I don't get what you two see on Jaina, I mean, she's all drama and no action!"

Sora gasped loudly and ran to where the toy was placed, covering its ears and giving a mock glare to his brother "Don't hear him darling, he's just envious because you're _the_ frost mage, and he gets destroyed by your class every time he uses his character."

"Shush you" Was Naruto's answer, along with a light shove.

"Shush _you_ " Sora answered, also giving him another shove, receiving another one in return from a grinning Naruto, making him grin in return and shove him again, and again, and again… When Peter returned to the room, both boys were on the ground… _"wrestling",_ all the time laughing and taunting the other, and only stopped when he coughed loudly to get their attention, one with his foot on the face of the other, and the other with his fingers inside the nose of the first.

"Is everything games with you?" he asked with a laugh.

"Yeah" Naruto answered as if it was common sense

"Uhhh… most of the time I guess" Sora said with a shrug, and Peter just shook his head fondly.

"May says that it would be better if I spend the night here, in case something else happens today."

"Something like…"

"The robbery you just frustrated?"

"Oh… but we can deal with that without problems."

"Yeah, but May doesn'tknow that."

"And the idea" Sora said before Naruto could say anything else "is to keep it that way. Unlike us, Peter has someone who is _actually_ there worrying about him all the time, _and unlike us_ -" he pressed seeing Naruto once again opening his mouth to protest "He can't create shields to protect himself in a tight spot… it wouldn't be nice for May to know of the extent of his _internship_ because her nephew ended in a hospital."

Peter looked a little disturbed by the reference Sora used, but shook his head and smiled confidently anyway, storing the thought for later.

"Don't worry about that, I'm a hero and it's my job to put myself in danger so others can be safe, right? Besides, nothing _bad_ has happened to me so far…" He let the word hang out for a moment, seeming lost in thoughts, before shaking his head again, this time with a smaller, but more sincere smile on his face "Someone used to tell me that with a great power comes a great responsibility, and I used to dismiss it as one of many advices old people would give all the time… maybe I didn't ask for these powers, but now it's my responsibility to keep others safe, and I will do so no matter what."

Sora opened his mouth, ready to say something, but then closed it seeing the determination in Peter's face, biting his lip and clenching a hand, looking in a debate with himself, only to sigh and close his eyes, giving a tired smile at his friend as Naruto stood and walked next to him, squeezing his shoulder in a supportive way.

"Just… be careful Peter, it's not nice when you discover you were not as invincible as you think you are. You make others worry for you… you make other do _stupid_ things because of that… there's always someone who can beat you-"

"But that's why we have friends" Naruto interrupted "So that we don't need to face alone that someone."

Sora smiled and wrapped his arm around Naruto.

"So, now that's been sorted out" an older voice said from somewhere in the room "we can move on to the next topic."

Naruto positively shrieked, turned on Kurama's cloak, and pulled praying beads and a bottle of blessed sake out of nowhere.

"Whoa golden boy, put that down" the voice said as a corner of the room flickered on and off, until there was Tony Stark sitting on a chair in front of them eating a cup of instant ramen "I imagined you were fast, but _that_ was impressive, even for me. F.R.Y.D.A.Y. it seems the cloaking device works as expected, send the report to Happy so he can get it to be installed in the plane."

"Already done boss" a feminine voice said from… somewhere "It surprised me you took so long to end the experiment."

"Well, excuse _me_ if I was surprised myself, not even at this age I manage to sound so reassuring… really kid, save that sake until you're at least my age."

"Old enough to-" Naruto started to mutter, but a hard nudge on his side from Sora made him shut up before he finished that sentence, earning a raised eyebrow from Tony.

"Mr. Stark? W-What are you doing here?"

"Hey Peter, nice to see you too, how's May doi-"

"What the hell are you doing in our house? And… is that one of my ramen cups!?"

"Shhh, no cursing until you're older" Tony scolded, taking another spoonful of ramen "And this? well, I got hungry and there was a lot of this stuff in the cupboard, so I said 'Why not?'"

Naruto was about to pummel Tony Stark, but Sora managed to keep him in place, and turned towards their… _visitor_ with an awkward smile.

"Could you _please_ tell us what are you doing here? And how you managed to enter?"

"Nice that you ask because, well, I was lounging with Pepper back at home- If you like this" he said pointing the cup of instant ramen "as much as it seems you would love her blondie, she makes the _best_ noodles- when I decided to check on Peter here because… reasons. When I saw he was still not back at home I thought ' _hey, maybe he's in trouble, or maybe he's out there with a girl, so what kind of mentor would I be if I'm not with him on either of those situations?'_ so I asked F.R.Y.D.A.Y. to locate him, and show me, what he's doing…" then he took out a phone the three kids immediately recognized, and showed them a projected video of the moment Peter did his massive spiderweb.

Sora could see on a corner the YouTube icon, and by the way Peter paled he had noticed it too.

"Nice acrobatics kid... hey, don't worry about the show, you were having your fun. Heh, I still remember my first birthday with the suit…" He seemed lost in thought for a moment, a goofy smile on his face, but after a moment he shook his head and returned to the topic at hand "Besides…" he paused the video and zoomed it in, showing two dark silhouettes they knew were Naruto and Sora "You were with friends… that could keep up with you, _and_ are your same age. I mean, besides the fact that they must already know you were the guy under the mask- which they already did, by what I have heard- they also, well, _kept up with you_ \- Ep ep ep, I'm not done yet" He said seeing that Sora was about to say something, while Peter looked totally scolded, and Naruto kept fuming about another person eating _his_ ramen.

"Now" Another spoonful of noodles "I already knew you two were special - not the specific details, like you _so kindly_ requested- you still owe me an armor kid" Naruto just stuck his tongue out "So no biggie there, you had friends your age that can keep up with you, and believe me, you _will_ needthem. The problem here, and reason I'm currently eating… ramen you called it? - A tad too salty for my taste, but anyway - in this teenager wonderland of a room after eavesdropping one the best pep-talks I've heard in awhile, is that not too long after I saw this video, F.R.Y.D.A.Y. showed me this little clip I found quite interesting because it would have become a viral in the media had I not interfered before someone leaked it from the security footage of the bank. You know how hackers are, right?"

Now the video that was played showed four guys with Avengers masks trying to take out an entire ATM with strange-looking weapons, and immediately all the people turned towards the nervous-looking blonde.

"Ehhh… I think I need to go to... the bathroom?"

"But why? I'm sure you'll also like the clip- oh! This next part is my favorite."

All the camera managed to catch was a golden blur knocking out everyone in the room and picking up the weapons in a matter of seconds… before a golden face appeared in front of the camera.

Blowing a raspberry at it.

"Our deal was" Tony said before Sora pummeled Naruto "that I would leave you two alone if you stayed out of radar. This-" he said pointing to the paused clip showing Naruto's golden face "-is not staying out of the radar. There is a whole movement trying to militarize _meta-humans_ \- ugh, even the term sounds ugly, no wonder the army is involved - especially young, impressionable kids like you because they have this crazy idea they can mold them into their 'perfect weapons'- an stupid idea if you ask me."

Naruto immediately went stiff, his eyes widening and his breath quickening, only when Sora placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, squeezing it hard enough, he snapped out of his little panic attack.

"Now" Tony continued, pretending not to notice Naruto's little episode "Peter here is off the hook because he's under my protection, and that means whatever he does I answer for it, but it's fine because he's a good kid and I trust him. You two on the other hand… do you wish to have General Ross knocking on your door one of these days? I know I wouldn't, that guy has the tact of Hulk when dealing with kids, I'm sure."

Sora and Naruto exchanged looks for a second, a whole conversation going between them without a word being said, before both turned and nodded, Naruto being the one who spoke this time.

"W- What do we need to do?"

"Hmmm, it's more like what you need to say really. I could leave you alone again and just hold the video for you, but I can't guarantee Ross won't get his hands over it eventually. Or I could give you the benefit of doubt and put you under my protection, just like Peter, and delete all traces of the video, so no army on your doorstep. But _then_ I would have my own terms and conditions for you so… your decision! I'd rather hurry up, because I'm sure the guy already got the hint something interesting might have happened."

The decision wasn't that hard, to be honest. If not for the fact that Naruto would simply _not_ be once again seen as a weapon, then because dealing with an army was a big NO in their books, but they turned towards Peter anyway since he knew Stark better than they did, and like expected they saw him with wide, excited, happy-bright eyes and face-splitting smile nodding, so they nodded.

"Nice!" Tony said with a cheerful tone and a smile "welcome to the family- F.R.Y.D.A.Y. please delete all records of Naruto's little video and upload our version, thanks - Pepper told me I had a soft spot for kids and I never believed her, now I'll return home and say 'Hey guess what, we have triplets!' and she will give me _that_ look and say 'told you so'- sorry, I'm a little nervous and I tend to ramble when I'm nervous, never been officially responsible for so many kids and my dad wasn't exactly a role model- So now we're all like a little weird family, and little weird families don't have secrets, you agree with that?" The kids nodded easily "Great! Because now we're all going to start sharing personal stuff, just as if we were on a therapy group. And yes, you too Peter, because now they are like your adopted brothers… your adopted super brothers? Superhero brothers? You get the idea. Now come, let's make a little circle- yes, you there- no, a little closer… yeah, perfect. I'll start so you have an idea. My name is Anthony Stark - just Tony please - part time superhero, billionaire philanthropist playboy genius- Thor loved that one - with a liking for Shawarma… have you ever tried shawarma? We should go have some one day. I like spending time with Pepper, inventing stuff and protecting earth from being destroyed, and I hate being outsmarted, evil northern gods or evil A.I. and aliens trying to destroy the earth. Now you go- why are you smiling like that? It's creeping me out a bit."

"It's nothing, you just reminded me of someone back at… nevermind" Naruto answered.

"O...k… why don't you go next Peter?"

* * *

 _And so the three kids and hero spent the next three hours just… talking, sharing what they felt like sharing - and what Tony demanded to be shared - with the rest of the people in the room, surprising themselves at the realization that just talking about their problems with others helped understand them better, and also helped the others understand them. They were amazed when Sora explained in detail the extent of his responsibilities as a Keyblade Master and all he had done so far as a Keyblade wielder, and they comforted Naruto when he finished the explanation of what used to be his burden - because Kurama was now his friend - and how life was for him in his village before he got a Keyblade of his own and met Sora._

 _When Peter decided to also share how he sometimes still felt about his Uncle Ben, found himself surprised at how much they- all of them- really understood his situation, and felt an even deeper kinship between them that he would dare say would go beyond simple friendship between his two peers, and even more respect for Tony Stark._

"That went well" Segaku said reading the book of prophecies.

"I thought only the eye on the Keyblade could keep that book updated" Jarvis said.

"God here, remember? I can do as I please" the " _god"_ said closing the book with a snap.

* * *

"Well" Tony said once he felt what needed to be said had been said "this have been quite the… learning experience. One of the two kids- that are the closest thing to non-hostile extraterrestrial beings I have ever been next to- houses inside of him a demon. An _actual_ _friendly_ demon. And the other has, apparently, saved my world - and all the others that might exist out there - more than once from becoming a _baddie wonderland._ At almost half my age. With an actual oversized key with cosmic powers... well, now I know I need a drink because I actually like those kids."

Two loud whoops and tackle-hugs later; Tony was chuckling on the ground with said two kids latched at each side of him, and a third one smiling at him but looking hesitant about if he should join or not. He just rolled his eyes.

"Jump in you too, it's not like one more would make a difference" At that Peter beamed and jumped on top of them, his laugher making him feel lighter than he had felt ever since Steve- "Ok, off you go, enough hugs for a month"

When the kids left him he felt a little cold, but just sniffed and discarded the thought. He had never been a touchy-feely person anyway.

"Will you also stay Mr. Stark?"

"Me? Nah, I have a lot to do now, besides don't you three have school tomorrow? Go to bed already… which reminds me, Naruto please the guns."

"Guns? What- oh!" and taking the scroll from inside his hoodie he made the - now they knew - required hand seals, making a cloud of smoke leave the scroll before leaving three futuristic-looking machines in the floor.

"I'll take… this one and this one" He said picking the bigger one and another one "save the last one for later, think of it as your trophy or something meanwhile, just don't… mess with it" Naruto just nodded and stored the remaining one "Now I leave" he said before awkwardly patting Naruto and Sora on the shoulders, and more easily ruffling Peter's hair "You two keep an eye on him, since you seem to be more experienced, but Happy will be your babysitter anyway, If anything happen… I'll probably know already, but he will tell me anyway, and then we'll have a talk. Bye. F.R.Y.D.A.Y.? Transport for two please, and tell-" with that he went out of the room and, by the sound of a door being closed outside, out of the house. The next second the trio were on the window seeing Tony outside throwing the weapons to an Iron Man armor, before entering another that was standing in front of him and flying away.

"Look, there's still some pizza, and I have some cola in the kitchen. You up for some video games?" Sora asked while Naruto was already on his way to the kitchen. Peter seemed to doubt, looking like he wished to ask them something else, but then giving up and smiling.

"Sure, video games sound cool."

* * *

Pepper heard Tony arrive - his armors always made some noise when they landed, even if he argued that the design was perfect - but he never reached their room, so after an hour of waiting she decided to look for him at his workshop, knowing that his absence only meant he was worried about something, and that something was severe.

He had been doing better since he met Peter - she had not met the boy personally, but the way Tony spoke about him showed how much he cared - so it rose red lights when, once she reached the workshop, she saw Tony giving directions to F.R.Y.D.A.Y. about what seemed to be the blueprints for a new armor.

"Hey Tony, what are you doing here."

"Oh, hi Pepper, guess what, now we have triplets" he said without turning from the projected 3D design he was holding on his hands, from what looked like hand repulsor cannons.

"Uh huh, triplets, was this another adventure in Monaco? Or maybe this time it was Las Vegas..."

Hearing her dry tone he finally turned, and it may have been because of the scarce light in the room but he looked really pale "Whatever would make you think that of me, Miss Potts. F.R.Y.D.A.Y. please show her."

Three photos appeared in front of her, each one of a teenager smiling. The first one she recognized instantly as Peter Parker - or Spider Man - but the other two… "Naruto Uzumaki and Sora Harada, adopted brothers" both with wide smiles, blue eyes and messy hair, the main difference being that one was a blond, while the other had chocolate-colored hair... besides the strange marks - almost like whiskers - on the cheeks of the blond one."

"So they are…"

"Naruto's the blond one and Sora the brunet, friends with Peter, both seem to be good kids, and apparently one houses a demon while the other has saved the multiverse more than once" Once he said that the worry finally showed on his face "Pepper, those kids are from other worlds. _Other worlds!_ And at least a couple of those could pose a threat to us, despite what they said… besides that apparently people in one of them can be even worse than Hidra with kids… I- I don't know what to do Pepper, those kids now look up at me - I think - and I don't know what to do! I had to lie to them about Ross… I think, don't really know with that guy anymore. Anyway, the thing is that I did it because I felt like I needed them to trust me... I would have gone _crazy_ with half of what one of them had to endure, and yet he still manages to smile everyday like it's the easiest thing to do-"

"Hey, shhh, calm down Tony" she said hugging him to her chest, where he nuzzled between her breasts, making her roll her eyes "why don't we go to the bedroom? there you can explain me in detail me what happened, and you can rest."

"But this-"

"Can wait until tomorrow. Come Mr. Stark, how does a massage sounds?"

Tony's shoulders sagged and he finally smiled, letting her guide him "Sounds great Miss Potts- F.R.Y.D.A.Y., please keep running the tests."

" _As you wish boss, have a nice night."_

Pepper found herself shaking her head, knowing it would not be totally out of his head, but at least now he would be in the bed, so… small victories?

Even as they left the workshop and the A.I. did her… it's work - sometimes she forgot it was a program and not an actual person - she couldn't help but wonder why would Tony try to hide he had such a soft spot for kids, it was actually an endearing trait of him she loved so much, and wondered if now, with the responsibility of those three kids he was talking about - _pay some more attention to him Potts! -_ he would let her drag him to a therapist.

Another thing she wondered, and also worried her, was those designs she saw back at the workshop… Why would he implement those odd-looking machines that were placed on top of the scan table? Those seemed like they would not fit in any normal set of armor... Maybe a War Machine prototype? But she doubted it, after what happened to Rhodey… then again, this was Tony she was talking about, and sometimes she didn't knew what went inside his head - and doubted she would ever want to.

For example, why there was an armor blueprint that looked awfully similar to Ultron's armor highlighted at several parts?

Whatever it was, she was sure it could wait until tomorrow.

* * *

Back at Merlin's house, things had been... _hectic_ ever since Sora escaped, and without any way to track the boy they got only worse. Searching missions were sent out everyday to every world that had been discovered, making it so that the house was empty almost always.

That was, of course, until...

"Are you sure we can trust this stranger Riku?" Roxas asked, eyeing warily the piece of paper on Riku's hand.

"Not really, but at this point I would take anything over still searching blindly."

"Ok, then let's wait until the others return from their missions so we can tell them there's finally have a clue, but... dunno, this _Jarvis_ gives me a bad vibe."

"Yeah, me too, but this'll have to do."

"What does that paper say anyway?"

" _Thread where no one has ever before, break the frontier and reach beyond the borders of your universe. Dip into the great unknown of the multiverse... and start your search in The Elemental Nations. The coordenates are written below the message."_


End file.
